Surrealism - Overview

Surrealism is a cultural movement beginning in the early 1920's. It is known for it's colorful and provocative artworks. In the Surrealism art pieces, these is always an element of surprise or an exaggeration of reality. The art works are also known to portray different philosophical movements. Surrealism was such a new twist from the classical artwork at the time that the Surrealistic culture was "above all a revolutionary movement" (Brenton).

Surrealism was developed out of the art movements named Dada, Cubism and the activities of World War I. Its foundation was combined effort of the artist and the writers based in Paris, France. Though it is official developed from Dada and Cubism, it true roots evolved from Dada. In the Dada movement, artist and writers believed that excessive rational thought and rule from the upper social class values had brought World War I upon the world. They demonstrated this belief throughout the war with gatherings, performances, writing and art works.

During the war, Surrealism's leader, Andre Brenton, helped in the local Paris hospitals using psychological methods with injured soldiers. One day began incorporating these psychological methods into his own writings. He would write spontaneously without censoring his thoughts which included ideas such as accounts of dreams. He published these "automatic" writings and they started to gain interest in the artistic community. Then Brenton gathered artists and writers into a group and they decided that this new form of expression was a better way to change peoples outlooks versus the Dada old attack on values. This is how the Surrealistic art movement is thought as a cultural revolution. This new expression eventually affected the visual arts, films, music and new political and philosophical thoughts of the day.

Along with Brenton some of the original founding writers at the time included Paul Eluard, Benjamin Peret, Rene Crevel, Robert Desnos, Jacques Baron and Max Morise. Some of the more famous artist from the art portion of the movement was Salvador Dali, Enrico Doneti, Toyeng, Max Ernest, and Valentine Hugo.

Works Cited
Ellis-Christensen , Tricia. "What is Surrealism?." wiseGEEK. 30 Oct. 2008 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-surrealism.htm.