Essay On Surrealism

There are endless styles and themes in which artists can decide to paint in. Surrealism is a well known art movement that started in the 1900s. Surrealism was created to “change life” said Rimbaud or to “transform the world” said Marx and essentially that’s what it did. By eliminating logic, new boundaries were opened and a new focus was demonstrated by some artists. Surrealism was first seen in writing so this movement didn’t necessarily begin in the art field. But, it did help artists enhance their paintings with dream-like features and this was a form of expression. Along the way, the artists used this to create a spiritual orientation in their artwork. According to Cathrin Klingsöhr-Leroy, the definition of surrealism is “a pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express, either verbally or in writing, or otherwise, the true function of thought. Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations.” Artists, at this point, were taking the concept of dreams and fantasy and experimenting with it. They applied it to their artwork creating surrealism.

Surrealism first developed in the early 1900s. 1917 is the when it first appeared. It first appeared in Paris, France. André Breton is usually referred to as the person who initiated this art movement first. He is considered the founder of surrealism. He wrote the Surrealist Manifest document. This document initiated the movement. He thought it was important for someone to understand the power of dreams. It developed during both of the World Wars. It initially started in poetry and writing and it started getting more and more popular in the art world. It was also used in a speech by the President of Council ...

... middle of paper ...

... also used as a new form of expression. Since this new form of art dealt with the dream world and the fantasy world, it allowed others to see new and never seen before works of art.

Judging surrealist work is important for art’s history. New techniques were developed and were used among the artists. The artists were also able to influence one another with their artwork. New ideas and ways to look at art were created. People were able to learn a lot through surrealistic art.

Surrealism eventually died out. It died out in the late 1960s. It lost its popularity and its major influence. But, surrealism still inspires people today. Art by famous surrealists is still well known today and it is viewed by many people today. Although surrealism isn’t as big today, there are still several artists who are still being influenced by the art movement known as surrealism.