Although not in the sense we know, humanity has been producing art since its existence. This art produced has been interpreted differently by artists in every period of history. While some argue that we should convey reality directly, others say that we can bend reality to our heart’s content, as in the surrealism movement. That is why the idea of surrealism has a special place.
Surrealism emerged in Europe in the short period between the First and Second World Wars. It is important to know this period because the social and psychological effects of what happened between these two dates in which millions of people died in horrific ways can be clearly seen with such art movements. Let’s examine the answer to the question of what is surrealism through these important works.
Before moving on to the works, let’s start by making a basic definition; What is surrealism, when did it appear?
To give a clear history, surrealism emerged in 1924 with the work Manifeste du Surrealisme prepared by Andre Breton. According to this manifesto, surrealism, in other words surrealism, is a way in which the unconscious and the conscious are combined. In fact, surrealism is not outside reality, on the contrary, it is reality itself.
Surrealism is based on the theories put forward by Sigmund Freud. In other words, surrealist works emerge with the reduction of the real truths experienced in the unconscious to the level of consciousness. Of course, for this reason, the works created become a little extraordinary and, to use their own words, imaginary, sexual, perverted images begin to emerge. The surrealists were divided into different currents within a short time.
Some of the most well-known representatives of surrealism are:
- PJ Jouve
- Pierre Reverdy
- Robert Desnos
- Louis Aragon
- Paul Eluard
- Antonin Arnaud
- Raymond Queneau
- Philippe Soupault
- Arthur Cravan
- René Char
- Federico Garcia Lorca
- Salvador Dali
- René Magritte
Here are some of the most important works that come to mind when it comes to surrealism:
- Egg in the Church or the Snake – Andre Breton
- The Tilled Field – Joan Miro
- The Barbarians – Max Ernst
- Battle of Fishes – Andre Masson
- The Treachery of Images – Rene Magritte
- Mama Papa is Wounded – Yves Tanguy
- Ulu’s Pants – Leonora Carrington
- The Great Masturbator – Salvador Dali
- The Son of Man – Rene Magritte
- The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dali
Collage of Surrealism: Egg in the Church or the Snake – Andre Breton
Egg in the Church or the Snake is not actually a painting, but a kind of photo collage. However, it is extremely important because it was created by Andre Breton, the author of the manifesto that revealed the surrealism movement. In this work, the aim is actually to do a kind of visual experiment and to capture a dream-like narrative language.
Image should be studied: The Tilled Field – Joan Miro
One of Joan Miro’s first surrealist works, The Tilled Field approaches the nature of the Catalan region from a historical perspective. In fact, this work is a reflection of the Spanish political structure of the period. Each image in this work, which has a highly symbolic language, deserves to be explained one by one.
A dadaist look at surrealism: The Barbarians – Max Ernst
Although Max Ernst is one of the surrealist artists, he is actually a dadaist. Under the influence of both Breton and Freud, he made The Barbarians. Here, he has included important figures of early pagan mythology and sexual symbols on his own childhood memories. The work is built on the theme of forces.
A unique technique: Battle of Fishes – Andre Masson
Painter Andre Masson, one of the French representatives of Surrealism, is actually doing an experimental work in his work called Battle of Fishes. The endless conflicts in the European countries of the period are described by Masson with an unfamiliar artistic technique and a rather aggressive language in this work.
This is not a pipe: The Treachery of Images – Rene Magritte
One of the best works that explains that surrealism is not just an art movement but a kind of worldview is The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte. “This is not a pipe.” The text and the pipe image on it appear as the clearest summary of surrealism, which we cannot possibly write thousands of pages about. This work has also been a work that created its own sub-current.
Has strong sexual connotations: Mama Papa is Wounded – Yves Tanguy
It would not be wrong to say that Mama Papa is Wounded is Yves Tanguy’s most important masterpiece. The language of the work is a successful result of combining Freud’s psychoanalytic technique with symbolism. Although family relations are the basis of the work in which post-war Europe is told, there are also strong sexual connotations that we can interpret as a Freudian touch.
The clash of a woman’s different identities: Ulu’s Pants – Leonora Carrington
Leonora Carrington, one of the few female artists of the Surrealism movement, used images from Celtic mythology and Mexican culture in her work Ulu’s Pants to describe the conflict of her identities as writer, painter, sculptor, weaver, mother and woman. In fact, this work is a kind of self-analysis work.
Freudian magic: The Great Masturbator – Salvador Dali
How Salvador Dali, one of the first names that comes to mind when it comes to surrealism, was influenced and even fascinated by the theories put forward by Freud, is clearly seen in The Great Masturbator. In this work, which is one of the oldest surrealist paintings, the ego structure is analyzed and suppressed sexual mechanisms are revealed.
The work that shapes the history of art: The Son of Man – Rene Magritte
One of the most iconic works of art history, The Son of Man is also one of the most important works of Rene Magritte and surrealism. This work, which inspired many different movies and works of art in the following years, is actually a self-portrait of the painter. The bowler hat and apple figure are unique images on which countless books will be written.
What is Surrealism, this is it: The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dali
The Persistence of Memory, one of Salvador Dali’s most important works, gives perhaps one of the clearest answers to the question of what is surrealism. In the work, in which a view of the Catalan region is the main figure, the space-time continuity is turned upside down. Dali says that he painted this work after a kind of lucid dream state.
We have listed some of the most important works of this movement by answering the question of what is surrealism, which is one of the most important movements in the history of art. Of course, this list could have been much longer. You can share the surrealist works and painters you want to be on our list in the comments.
For the interesting works of René Magritte, who approaches the perception of reality from a completely different angle:
33164
