Surrealism (Sean)

Surrealism was a movement and revolution of culture. It grew out of the Dada movement and reached its own in early 1920’s Paris. It quickly swept the globe. Among its members is its leader, Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp, Yves Tanguy, and the most recognizable surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. The 1930's saw Surrealism come into its own and this is considered to be the turning point, stylistically, for many of the Surrealists careers. Surrealism continued well into the 1940's and many art historians argue over the true end of the movement. Some relate it to the end of WWII, some to Andre Breton's death in 1966, others still attribute it to the loss of Salvador Dali in 1989.

The surrealist movement is most notable for its visual arts. These works express a dream-like state, often with expansive, stark landscapes and strange figures and shapes populating them. Juxtaposed with these alien forms are recognizable objects and familiar forms that seem to skirt any sort of effort to make them any more tangible to the mind. Often the meanings of these visual works are mysterious and change between viewers. Among the artists, the final works were not seen as the act of Surrealism, but the artifact of what Surrealism really is, the strange happenings of the human subconscious.

L'Ange du Foyeur - Max Ernst

The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali

Time Transfixed - Rene Magritte

Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism