Surrealism:
- After WW1 people were very depressed, mixture
of defeatism and rejection of logical reasoning.
- * Surrealism was founded on the idea that rational
thought covers very narrow section in our lives +
beyond this is another real world of the
subconscious
- The said that the “dream state” is the real YOU.
- It is an attempt to express this + put more into
the mind
- Attempt to reveal the inner recesses of the
subconscious mind – resorted using symbols.
- The symbols were very personal + their full
meaning was only known by the artist.
- Believed creating came from the subconscious
rather than the traditional + acceptable subjects &
forms of creation.
Believed the creating of painting occurred in 2 ways:
1. Pure accident: more important than rational
control. Automatic drawing/doodling & rubbings
were used: AUTOMATISM
2. Reconstruction of the Dream World: familiar &
unfamiliar objects + environments are juxtaposed.
Dreamlike scenes are created that emphasize the
inexplicable nature of the human experience.
, Influences: (don’t use as example of surrealist artist)
- Sigmund Freud: his book “The Interpretation of
Dreams” was a major influence of their choice of
subject matter.
he believed the mind is composed of conscious (ego
and superego – rational & civilized) + unconscious
parts (primitive & irrational & animalistic.)
surrealist’s visual imagery is based on inner workings
of the unconscious state of mind.
- Henri Rousseau: classified as naïve. Worked from a
mixture of memory & imagination.
His exotic scenes were dream-like & improbable but
had a ring of truth.
- Giorgio de Chirico: (major influence on Salvador
Dali) painted extremely strange + disconcerting
paintings where the lighting is theatrical +
perspective exaggerated.
Dedicated to exploring the mystery & fantasy
which lies below surface reality.
- After WW1 people were very depressed, mixture
of defeatism and rejection of logical reasoning.
- * Surrealism was founded on the idea that rational
thought covers very narrow section in our lives +
beyond this is another real world of the
subconscious
- The said that the “dream state” is the real YOU.
- It is an attempt to express this + put more into
the mind
- Attempt to reveal the inner recesses of the
subconscious mind – resorted using symbols.
- The symbols were very personal + their full
meaning was only known by the artist.
- Believed creating came from the subconscious
rather than the traditional + acceptable subjects &
forms of creation.
Believed the creating of painting occurred in 2 ways:
1. Pure accident: more important than rational
control. Automatic drawing/doodling & rubbings
were used: AUTOMATISM
2. Reconstruction of the Dream World: familiar &
unfamiliar objects + environments are juxtaposed.
Dreamlike scenes are created that emphasize the
inexplicable nature of the human experience.
, Influences: (don’t use as example of surrealist artist)
- Sigmund Freud: his book “The Interpretation of
Dreams” was a major influence of their choice of
subject matter.
he believed the mind is composed of conscious (ego
and superego – rational & civilized) + unconscious
parts (primitive & irrational & animalistic.)
surrealist’s visual imagery is based on inner workings
of the unconscious state of mind.
- Henri Rousseau: classified as naïve. Worked from a
mixture of memory & imagination.
His exotic scenes were dream-like & improbable but
had a ring of truth.
- Giorgio de Chirico: (major influence on Salvador
Dali) painted extremely strange + disconcerting
paintings where the lighting is theatrical +
perspective exaggerated.
Dedicated to exploring the mystery & fantasy
which lies below surface reality.
