The Origins of Surrealism

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Green 1 Controlled Chaos: The Impact of Surrealism on the Art World The Surrealist movement that began in the 1920’s, was unlike anything the art world had ever seen before. While Surrealist painters borrowed techniques from previous “ism” movements, for example Impressionism and Cubism, the prominent painters of this movement had acquired a new, shocking style all their own. Surrealism, as an art movement, stressed the importance of expanding one’s mind in order to welcome other depictions of ‘reality’. Surrealist artists channelled their subconscious and their works reflected images of total mind liberation. Unlike the art movements before it, Surrealism came the closest to truly reflecting the human dreamlike state. While this essay will explore the purpose, techniques and lasting impact of the Surrealist art movement, it should be noted that this movement transcended the boundaries of the image arts world. The influence of Surrealism can be felt in the fields of literature, film, music and philosophy, among others. The Surrealist movement started in 1920’s Europe, with Paris as the unofficial basis for the movement. Surrealism is usually linked with the Dada movement. Dadaism attacked the conventional forms of aesthetics and it stressed how absurd and unpredictable the process of artistic creation was. They created pieces of ‘non-art’ to show, out of protest, how meaningless European culture had become (de la Croix 705). The Dada movement was declared dead around 1922 when it had become ‘too organised‘ a movement, but it planted the seeds for Surrealism (de la Croix 706). While the Dada movement provided the basis for Surrealism, Surrealism was lighter and much less violent than its predecessor. Dadaism provided a basis for Su...

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...d a strong impact on the artists of the 1960’s and 1970’s, including Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons and its impact has extended to the contemporary arts, which have yet to be fully assessed (USA Today Magazine 2005). More than just an expression of the subconscious, Surrealism redefined the future of art, fashion, and popular culture. While it is said that Surrealism died when Breton passed away in 1966, its effects are still felt today. We experience Surrealism in our daily lives with the steady flow of disconnected images, seen most evidently today in advertising. Surrealism has taught us not only to tolerate, but to appreciate the strange flow of discontinuities. This lesson is monumentally important living in an increasingly multicultural and heavily media-based society where there is a fusion of different images and sounds being experienced in every facet of life.

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