Surrealism

A dreamlike rebellion bled through the agitated epicenter of expression in early twentieth

century Paris, appending an eccentric shift in artistic views. Surrealism naturally seeped out of

the pores that Dadaism had previously exposed to society during the frenzy of, and there after

World War I. The artists of this period dealt with questions associated with liberty and freedom

more than that of any other time. They delved into a state of conscious awareness in their art that

was incomprehensive to the over trained, conservative mind which was most apparent in the

bourgeoisie and leaders of the time. Release is required for the understanding of surrealist art.

There is no real defined meaning; no right or wrong perception, there is only what the viewer is

currently aware of during the moment in which he is presented with the piece. Any form of

artistic redesign was opened for innovation. Writers redefined the understanding of words,

bringing their ambiguous facade to the surface for observance. The painters and sculptors twisted

physical realism into a mellifluous bind of flesh that had never been melted onto the canvas in

such a provocative stance. Surrealism challenges obvious perception with an avant-grade wave

of artistic generation.

Dadaism implanted a seed into the hearts of the uneasy working class who were often

over looked and over heard. It gave them the power to powerfully and candidly communicate

their upsets with the governing system. Surrealism was inevitably nurtured with the open

expression of unlegislated truth and fluidly overgrew into a powerful movement for outwardly

conveying the subconscious experience. The act of producing anti-art, art, created a fascination

with the juxtaposing of words and objects. At first surrealism was represented by mainly literary

work in revolt of the social status quo.

 The writer and poet Isidore Ducasse summed up the surrealist view of beauty in the

article “Les Chants de Maldoror” when he wrote, “Beautiful is the encounter of a sewing

machine and an umbrella on an operating table.” This statement shows how the surrealist saw

beauty as a limitless form of expression, no matter how twisted or unlike. Through out the 1920s

several articles were published, targeting the subculture of surreal thinkers. Andre Breton was

deemed the “Pope of Surrealism” after publishing, "The Manifestos of Surrealism" (1924), as

well as "La Revolution surrealiste." In his articles he subjected his readers to new and notable

surrealist paintings and literature of his choice. Although predominately subjugated by words,

surrealism was soon accompanied by a much more aesthetic quality.

Giorgio de Chirico is known as the first painter during the Twentieth century to link

romantic art with surrealism, his work reflects the undetermined logic that was a consistent trait

of surrealism. De Chirico painted faceless mannequins that were made of inanimate objects with

no real meaning. His work was said to only be appreciated by Picasso and Apollinaire who first

painted dreamlike qualities. It was this tiny spark influenced by De Chirico at the perfect place

and time which ignited surrealism into an eruption of social transformation. After De Chirico,

surreal painting began to take a real shape of it own. Max Ernst dominated Paris soon after with

his imagery of normal everyday life with a capricious twist. He took what was apparent to the

naked eye and forced people to strain their vision in order to reconstruct a new, more complex

understanding of the image. In a 1960 interview with Roland Penrose, Ernst rationalizes

surrealist art by stating, “Look at the world in the last 50 years, who made world history? Not the

most reasonable people, mad men. So if painting is the mirror of time it must be mad.”

Throughout time it has been apparent that people create directly in reference to the emotions that

they are feeling associated with the common world around them. Although surrealism generally
showcases the intangible, as humans, we are constantly looking to draw concrete conclusions

about out experience, no matter how outlandish. However, it is the goal of the surrealist artist to

challenge those concrete conclusions and often put the human mind in a precarious state of

understanding.

Salvador Dali is the most famous of all surrealist painters; he is also the link between

surrealism and the Catholic Church, painting his own rendition of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The

Last Supper.” He has said to use “All the tricks of eye fooling” in his work in order to entrance

the viewer. Dali physically embodied the eccentricity that oozed from his work all throughout his

life. It was his eccentricity that characterized the surrealism that society is exposed to today.

Inspiration for this kind of painting was derived from dreams, exposure to erratic places like flea

markets and even the eerie tranquility of wax museums. The goal is to take awareness a little

deeper, not to make something useful or even beautiful for humanity.

The vivid portrayal of uselessness is apparent in Marel Oppenheim’s sculpture of a fur

covered cup and spoon. The viewer is left with an awkward taste after imagining what it might

feel like to drink from a fur cup. An objects utility is not what the object is worth. Oppenheim

masters the understanding of worth and creates a precursor into the acceptance of raw existence.

It lasted less time than any other period of art in history and only took fifty years for

society to digest however the importance of surrealism is widely evident. Culture today has

shifted to accommodate the ideals of traditionalists and surrealist alike. Surrealism is still

expanding outward into forms such as Pop and Street art which are dominating the art world that

people are exposed to today.