This is a copy of the summary notes we have gone through in class. Just in case you can't recall, take a peek anytime you need to :)
Surrealism is a literary and art movement started by Andre Breton in 1924
It is also an artistic style that uses imagery from the subconscious mind to create art that is usually illogical or hard to comprehend
Because of the nature of this movement, it is often associated with psychoanalysis which is the study of the mind
One of the key theorists of psychoanalysis is a man named Sigmund Freud who did research on dreams
The pioneer Surrealist artists are: Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Joan Miro and Giorgio de Chirico
Although the works may not seem to make sense or look extremely disturbing to us, like all works of art, the artist is trying to use this particular artistic style to convey meaning. Always remember to look for the metaphors in the art work, it is more than meets the eye. Every artist has his/her own intention when they create an artwork and a lot of thought and research has been put into the creation of every single piece of work.
Surrealism is now a very big inspiration to modern artists. We see surrealism being applied in popular culture including Music Television (MTV), films and movies and even in animation and photography. Examples include Sandy Skoglund, Brian Walker, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and many more
The links to various surrealism research sites can be found at the bottom of the blog page. Use it to your benefit!
Cheers,
Miss Sandra