Surrealism is one of the most mind-bending and influential artistic movements in the 20th century. It’s all about dreams, the unconscious mind, and irrational juxtapositions. Let’s break it down!
Surrealism is a cultural movement that started in the 1920s, with the main goal of expressing the unconscious mind, dreams, and irrationality in art, literature, and beyond.
"Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision." — André Breton, founder of Surrealism
The Unconscious Mind:
Surrealists wanted to tap into the deeper, hidden layers of the mind, particularly the unconscious. They believed that beneath the surface of our rational thoughts, there’s a wellspring of creative, wild, and meaningful imagery — dreams, fantasies, desires, and fears.
Dreams as Reality:
Surrealists celebrated the dream state as a valid realm of existence, believing that what happens in dreams is just as real as what we experience when awake.
Free Association & Automatism:
This is the practice of creating without consciously thinking. Surrealists often used techniques like automatic writing or drawing to bypass the conscious mind, creating something unfiltered by logic or social norms.
The Irrational & the Absurd:
Surrealism sought to juxtapose disconnected or contradictory elements to challenge rational thought. This leads to bizarre, often unsettling, and absurd imagery — a horse with a bird’s head, for example, or a clock melting over a tree branch.
Salvador Dalí – Perhaps the most famous surrealist, known for his iconic melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory and his eccentric personal style.
René Magritte – Created paintings like The Son of Man, where a man’s face is obscured by an apple, playing with reality and perception.
Max Ernst – Known for his use of collage and frottage (rubbing textures from surfaces) to create dreamlike, otherworldly landscapes.
Joan Miró – His playful yet strange, abstract works are infused with unconscious impulses and vibrant color.
Frida Kahlo (sometimes considered part of the surrealist movement, though she identified more with Mexican folk art) — known for symbolic self-portraits that delve deeply into personal pain, identity, and surrealist imagery.
Automatism:
The process of creating art without conscious thought. For example, a surrealist might start drawing without any plan or expectation — allowing the subconscious mind to take the lead.
Exquisite Corpse:
A collaborative game where one person draws part of a figure, folds the paper, and passes it to the next person to continue. The result is a weird, unexpected, and fragmented image.
Dreamscapes:
Surrealist art often mimics the disjointedness and illogical nature of dreams, with things floating in impossible spaces or combining everyday objects in strange ways.
Surrealism uses symbolism but in a more radical way. Instead of symbols being pre-determined, surrealists believed that each individual has their own personal symbols in the unconscious mind. These symbols are often bizarre and mysterious, providing deep insight into a person’s psyche.
Psychology: Surrealism was heavily influenced by Freud’s theories of the unconscious and dream analysis.
Literature: Writers like Louis Aragon, André Breton (the movement’s founder), and Paul Éluard explored surrealism in poetry and prose, often using automatic writing or dream-like narratives.
Film: Filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and David Lynch used surrealist techniques to create films that explore the subconscious, dream logic, and absurdity.
Fashion: Surrealism’s influence even reached the fashion world. Designers like Elsa Schiaparelli worked with surrealist artists, creating pieces that had bizarre, dreamlike qualities — for example, a lobster-shaped dress.
Surrealism isn’t just about art. It’s a mindset, a challenge to how we perceive the world. Here are some surreal ideas in daily life:
Surprise and curiosity: Looking at the world around you through a lens of wonder and strangeness. What does an everyday object really mean?
Blending the absurd with the beautiful: Embracing the odd, the contradictory, or the mysterious in art, fashion, and design.
Exploring your dreams: Just as surrealists did, paying attention to your dreams can reveal a wealth of unconscious symbols and truths.
In many ways, surrealism is spiritually expansive, because it taps into the deepest parts of the psyche, allowing for a more direct connection with the unconscious, dreams, and hidden truths. It can be seen as an exploration of the inner, mystical worlds that we don’t always have access to in our conscious minds.