Surrealism and Andre Breton Essay Example
Surrealism and Andre Breton Essay Example

Surrealism and Andre Breton Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (509 words)
  • Published: November 18, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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Both art and literature in Surrealism highlight the significance of imagery that pertains to the subconscious or irrational.

Although originally a follower of the Dadaism movement, Andre Breton is believed to have founded the surrealist movement. He felt that Dadaism lacked direction and was considered "anti-art" due to its purposeful irrationality and protest against war, which went against everything art stood for in terms of aesthetics. The surrealism movement was heavily influenced by Dadaism but aimed to bring together both conscious and unconscious realms.

During the period between World War I and World War II, Surrealism emerged in Europe as a significant movement. Unlike Dadaism which focused on negation, Surrealism utilized positive expression to protest rational thought. The art created through this movement drew from the subconscious mind resulting in works lacking logical coher

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ence. This reaction to Dadaism's response to logic, which was seen as a cause for war, can be traced back to Andre Breton. Born in Tinchebray in 1896 as the son of a shopkeeper, Breton was already a poet during his childhood and had even met renowned poet Paul Valery when he was young.

After studying medicine and psychiatry, Andre practiced Freud's psychoanalytic methods in a neurological ward during World War I. In 1921, he met Sigmund Freud in Vienna. Meanwhile, Breton and other surrealists aimed to reconcile dream and reality and expand their minds. They experimented with inducing a hallucinatory state to extract pure thoughts from their subconscious minds.

According to Andre Breton, Surrealism involves "pure psychic automatism" and aims to convey thoughts free from reason or considerations of aesthetics or morality. Breton viewed Surrealism as a way of fusing the conscious and unconscious

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experiences, resulting in an "absolute reality" where the dream world and actuality blend together. He authored various manifestos on Surrealism such as "Ma Femme," which employs striking visuals to depict his spouse.

Salvador Dali, who was born as Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali on May 11, 1904, was a renowned Surrealism artist. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Madrid for multiple years but got expelled just before graduation for stating that none of the faculty members were qualified to examine him. In 1931, while in Paris, Dali became an official member of the surrealist group and encountered his future wife and inspiration, Gala. It was during this period that he produced one of his most famous works titled The Persistence of Memory.

Salvador Dali relocated to the United States in 1940 to avoid involvement in World War II and quickly became a beloved figure in American High Society. He was commissioned by many famous celebrities for portraits, amassing significant wealth during this era and earning the nickname "Avida Dollars" or "greedy for dollars" from Andre Breton himself. While still alive, Salvador Dali became the only artist with two museums solely dedicated to him. On January 23, 1989, he passed away due to heart failure while residing in the tower of his personal museum.

Surrealism's influence has been felt worldwide, impacting diverse spheres such as visual arts, literature, film, music, political thought, philosophy and social theory.

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