Surrealist Movement

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The Surrealist Movement and a List of Artists

The Surrealist Artist is part of a cultural movement that began in the mid-1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of its group members. It was important as future painters were inspired even to this day. Many Post Modernists can relate to the freedom of thought that it provides. This is because of the usage of representative subject matter presented on to the picture space without having to follow the natural order of the world around. For example in the dreamscape of the mind we are not limited by things such as gravity and so the Artists took adavantage of this. Inwardly interested in understanding the meaning of dreams in this context were the opposite of the Impressionist Movement

The works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur, however many painters and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical group first and foremost with the works being an artifact, and the leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary philosophy. From the Dada activities of World War I the organisation was formed with the most important center of the group in Paris and from the 1920s spreading around the globe, eventually affecting films such as the Angel's Egg and El Topo, amongst others.

Many significant literary organisations in the later half of the 20th century were directly or indirectly influenced by the philosophy. This period is known as the Postmodern era; though there's no widely agreed upon central definition of

Postmodernism , many themes and techniques commonly identified as Postmodern are nearly identical to Surrealism.

Throughout the 1930s, Surrealism continued to become more visible to the public at large. A Surrealist group developed in Britain and, according to Breton, their 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition was a high water mark of the period and became the model for international exhibitions.

Dalí and Magritte created the most widely recognized images of the movement. The artist Salvador Dali joined the group in 1929, and participated in the rapid establishment of the visual style between 1930 and 1935.

As a visual movement it had found a method: to expose psychological truth by stripping ordinary objects of their normal significance, in order to create a compelling image that was beyond ordinary formal organization, in order to evoke empathy from the viewer. Politically the organisation was ultra-leftist, communist, or anarchist. The split from Dada has been characterised as a split between anarchists and communists, with the organisation as communist. Breton and his comrades supported Leon Trotsky and his International Left Opposition for a while, though there was a certain openness to anarchism that manifested more fully after World War II. Some Painters such as Benjamin Peret aligned with forms of left communism. Other future groups such as the

Abstract Expressionists avoided the Post War Cold War influences of severe political censorship in America by creating pieces that were essentially apolitical, without having any communist leanings. Dalí supported capitalism and the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco but cannot be said to represent the philosophy in this respect; in fact he was considered, by Breton and his associates, to have betrayed it and so left the group .

Surrealist book review

Here is a really unusual, disturbing book that I found by Sarane Alexandria called Surrealist Art (World of Art) I also managed to find a book review by Curasalian which I think describes it really well.

Review by Curasalian:

This book contains a good amount of illustrations in color of very obscure and interesting artworks. It traces a long span of the Art Movement's motion and highlights each artist as time progresses.

A List of Related Artists

Aimé Césaire Albert Camus Alberto Giacometti André Breton André Kertész André Masson Annie Le Brun Antonin Artaud Arshile Gorky Benjamin Péret Boiffard Bona de Mandiargues Brassaï Brion Gysin Claude Cahun David Hare Dora Maar Dorothea Tanning Eileen Agar Esteban Francés F. E. McWilliam Fernando Arrabal Federico García Lorca Frida Kahlo Gala Dalí Gaston Bachelard Georges Bataille Georges Hénein Georges Malkine Gilbert Lély Giorgio de Chirico Gisèle Prassinos Gordon Onslow Ford Greta Knutson-Tzara Hans Bellmer Hans Ruedi Giger Henri Michaux Herbert Read Isidore Ducasse Jacqueline Lamba-Breton Jacques André Jacques Brunius Jean/Hans Arp Jindrich Heisler Jindrich Styrsky Joan Miró Joseph Cornell Kay Sage Konrad Klapheck Kurt Seligmann Lee Miller Len Lye Léona Camille Ghislaine. Decourt alias Nadja Léonor Fini Leonora Carrington Léopold Sédar Senghor Louis Aragon Luis Buñuel Man Ray Marc Chagall Marcel Duchamp Marcel Jean Maurice Blanchot Maurice Heine Maurice Tabard Max Ernst Max Morise Meret Oppenheim Max Ernst Max Morise Meret Oppenheim Michel Foucault Michel Leiris Nadja (novel) Nancy Joyce Peters Nikos Engonopoulos Nusch Éluard Óscar Domínguez Pablo Picasso Paul Delvaux Paul Éluard Paul Nougé Peter Dizozza Philip Lamantia Philippe Soupault Pierre Mabille Pierre Molinier Pierre Naville Radovan Ivsic Raoul Ubac Remedios Varo René Char René Crevel René Magritte René Ménil Robert Desnos Roberto Matta Roger Caillois Roger Parry Roger Vitrac Roland Topor Roland Penrose Surrealist Movement Artists Dali Simone Kahn-Breton Sophie Taeuber-Arp Suzanne Malherbe Suzanne Muzard Theodor Adorno Toyen Tristan Tzara Unica Zürn Valentine Hugo Victor Brauner Vítìzslav Nezval Walter Benjamin Wifredo Lam Wilhelm Freddie Wolfgang Lettl Wolfgang Paalen Wols Yves Tanguy

Some interesting books....