[Home]Surrealism

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Surrealism, often misinterpreted as an artistic movement, had its beginning in 1924, with the publication of [André Breton]?'s [First] Surrealist Manifesto. In the Manifesto Breton defines surrealism as "pure psychic automatism?" ("automatism" is(spontaneous creative production without (conscious) moral or aesthetic self-censorship). At first this automatism was only conceived in the realm or writing and language, and it was not until later that automatic drawing was developed by [Andre Masson]?, and automatic drawing and painting, as well as other automatistic methods, such as decalcomania?, frottage, fumage? and grattage? became significant parts of surrealist practice. It was a movement which transformed post-World War I visual art, writing, poetry and film. (Examples of surrealist film are [Un Chien Andalou]? and [L'Age D'Or]? .)

Although surrealism is related to the earlier Dada? movement, and many of its initial members came from Dada, it is significantly broader in scope than the Dada movement.

This was the "in crowd" of Paris in the 20s and early 30s: [Louis Aragon]?, [Marcel Duchamp]?, Rene Magritte, Miro, [Max Ernst]?, Dali, Giacometti, Valentine, Hugo, Oppenheim, [Man Ray]?, Tanguy, Prevert, Queneau, to name but a few).

The movement successively drifted left, adherence to the Moscow communist party line became a requirement, and Breton (who would later denounce that same party line) purged those who disagreed with him as the movement gradually splintered and drifted apart, only to reunite in exile in New York in the early forties during World War Two.

Although it is often falsely stated that surrealism ended either during or shortly after the Second World War, or with the death of Breton in 1966, the 1960s in fact saw a dramatic expansion of international surrealism, including the founding of the [Chicago Surrealist Group]? by Franklin? and [Penelope Rosemont]?. Surrealism continues today around much of the world.

Must read: Andre Breton, "Conversations: The Autobiography of Surrealism" (Gallimard 1952) (Paragon House English rev. ed. 1993).

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Edited December 15, 2001 2:36 am by 204.38.53.xxx (diff)
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