Surrealism refers to a cultural movement that began to develop in Europe after World War 1. It was characterized by the use of abstract and unnerving imagery to reflect the unconscious state of mind during the time and allow it to express itself. According to the French writer and poet, Andre Robert Breton, surrealism was a way to allow the contradictory world of dream and reality to be expressed in the form of a single and absolute reality. He called this reality the super-reality or surreality.
Origin of the Term
Although the term ‘Surrealism’ originated from another French poet, Apollinaire, it was only after the publishing of “Surrealist Manifesto” by Breton that the word came into common use. As a movement, it was influenced by both the prevalent political ideologies and causes such as anarchism and communism and art movements such as Dadaism. It produced major works in numerous fields such as literature, painting, photography, filmmaking, and theatre.
Characteristics of Surrealist Works
Since most of the major surrealist works feature an element of surprise along with numerous juxtapositions, bizarre imagery, and non-sequiturs, the surrealist works can primarily be identified by defiance of logic, an element of absurdity, and dream-like imagery. Initially, Surrealism was a majorly literary movement in which contemporary writers and poets experimented with the spontaneous and autonomous style of writing in an effort to free their imagination. Following the same concept, the visual artists drew games and used a variety of techniques to further randomize the creative process, again in an effort to express their imagination freely.
Gradually, Surrealism emerged as a major cultural and philosophical movement, it was characterized by:
- -The depiction of ordinary, everyday objects in a dreamlike and extraordinary manner.
- -Images and designs that are heavily reliant on symbolism allow the audience to interpret their own meaning.
- -A lack of patterns and logic that one can follow.
- -Random and bizarre effects originate from a variety of techniques.
- -Biomorphic shapes and distorted forms and figures together with visual puns and illogical designs.
- -The display of child-like imagery that is either bizarre or primitive in nature.
- -The presence of an element of spontaneity or automatism.
- -An uninhabited display of sexual subjects and objects that were considered taboo by the standards of society.
