Art History Surrealism Project Essay Example

the surrealist artists' sentiments and supported their avant-garde style of art.

The emergence of Dadaism marked the beginning of surrealism, as it opposed academic and political art. Dadaism introduced innovative techniques and approaches to art which were later adopted by Surrealists. Many Surrealists participated in Dada gatherings and contributed to the publication of Les Champs Magnetiques. These artists were inspired by the works of famous psychologists Freud, Sigmund and Jung, which they studied extensively during this time.

The Dadaism movement was divided into sub groups, with some artists expressing themselves abstractly and others symbolically. Surrealism, which focused on using imagery to evoke emotions in observers, struggled to find the point at which reality transforms into imagination but ultimately succeeded through various mediums, including painting and writing. The influence of Freud can be seen in both the philosophy and goals of the early Surrealist movement, as well as in their understanding of the value of insanity and madness for creative purposes.

The idea of human imagination has always had significant uses. Andre Breton and the Surrealists were highly influenced by psychoanalyst Freud, despite Freud's belief that they were "quite mad" with appreciation only for Salvador Dali. Breton and his colleagues sought to break free from rationalism by exploring dreams and automatic writing, which involves allowing unchanged subconscious images to flow freely onto paper, known as automatism.

A number of artists participated in this movement, such as Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Andr� Masson, Joan Mir�, and Yves Tanguy. They produced dreamlike imagery with imaginary figures and spontaneous sketches through various techniques and forms. Surrealist collages aimed to illustrate distant realities in a way that, as Breton stated, "sparkles with beauty." Surrealist

objects consisted of objects combined to create poetic or symbolic meaning. Photography, which was originally thought to purely capture reality, was utilized to manipulate and distort it. One surrealist artist mentioned that dreams are akin to microscopes that enable us to examine our souls.

Our dreams reveal our deepest desires and thoughts from the subconscious, often including unpleasant or incomprehensible elements. These can also depict our fears or untamed nature, which society may inhibit. Surrealist painters often capture these dream images unaltered, reflecting the surrealistic nature of the human mind.

The development of surrealist work involved the use of techniques such as systematic random composition, automatism, and the role of accident. These techniques were employed by artists belonging to both the Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist movements. Automatism is a technique whereby the artist suppresses conscious control over their hand movements and allows their subconscious mind to take over. This results in spontaneous paintings or drawings. Once an interesting image or form is achieved by chance, the artist can then develop it using their consciousness. Writing can also be used to achieve automatism. Surrealists would write down words without thinking, forming a sort of sentence.

A group of surrealists can take turns saying a word without conscious thought, possibly reflecting their subconscious. Another surrealist technique is to paint blindly, allowing the hand to move freely on paper and extract ideas from the subconscious mind.

It is a common occurrence to find that additional lines or shapes are needed to improve the visual clarity of a painting created using this technique. However, sometimes this process may result in a chaotic scribble. Despite its familiarity, few realize that this method is actually

a form of surrealist art closely linked with the concept of chance. To create an image, start by placing ink on paper and folding it in half to produce a symmetrical image. Unfolding the paper may reveal an unexpected image.

Our individuality as human beings causes us to perceive things differently. Therefore, it's your own mind that determines what you see and how you interpret the vague image presented. The act of mocking established works, known as "the parody and mockery of established artists and pictures," was a concept conceived by surrealists. Their objective was to shock the public who they deemed unworthy of art. One approach they took was painting a moustache over famous paintings like the Mona Lisa.

The Surrealist movement ridiculed established works of art to create disturbing pieces. Surprisingly, the target audience was not repulsed and instead embraced this new form of art. This movement introduced the concept of installation using disassociated objects, illusions, frozen moments and barren cityscapes. The incorporation of disassociated objects can be compared to a collage.

Both writing and pictures can be used for this technique. Simply grab words from a newspaper and arrange them in an unpredictable sequence to create a peculiar sentence. Your brain and subconscious will then extract meaning from it. Similarly, you can use images of objects from a magazine or catalogue to employ this method.

Surrealist art commonly features optical illusions, particularly drawings that can be interpreted as two distinct objects simultaneously. Perhaps the most famous example of this style is a drawing in which a vase appears to be two people facing each other. Surrealist works may also capture frozen moments, such as an

action scene paused in time and depicted in a painting. For instance, a surrealist piece could show a lion jumping towards a man, with the lion suspended mid-leap and the man calmly waiting. Additionally, surrealist drawings might include depictions of empty landscapes or cityscapes.

Typically, the surrealist realm showcases barren settings featuring realistic objects that may be absent from Earth but could belong to a similar planet. Such landscapes are often accompanied by unusual backdrops, notably with atypical sky colours. Consequently, the experience of such artworks conjures up a sense of unfamiliarity and that of a surreal realm. An empty metropolis drawing, for instance, with all its usual features such as cars, residential blocks, skyscrapers, and so forth, can embody surrealism.

Despite the normal appearance, the absence of people in the area raises concerns about possible disasters or events that may have occurred.