Surrealismsur⋅re⋅al /səˈri əl, -ˈril/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [suh-ree-uh l, -reel] –adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of surrealism; surrealistic. 2. having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic: surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.

Surrealism originated from Dada, an anti-war ‘anti-art’ movement in which artists created anti war propaganda. This propaganda was generally collages of paper cuttings from newspapers (left, ‘Cut with a Kitchen Knife’, Hannah Hoch) or photomontage.The founder of Surrealism André Breton wrote in the Surrealist Manifesto about the influences of the work of Freud. (“It was, apparently, by pure chance that a part of our mental world which we pretended not to be concerned with any longer -- and, in my opinion by far the most important part -- has been brought back to light. For this we must give thanks to the discoveries of Sigmund Freud.”

André Breton, Surrealist Manifesto)Breton also wrote of the influences of the subconscious mind on the work of the surrealists. (“as for the approval of his conscience, I confess that he does very nicely without it”

André Breton, Surrealist Manifesto)

(Right, André Masson, Automatic drawing)“A look at history will clearly show that, while there were always artists whose works were inspired by dreams, the supernatural, the irrational and the absurd, we can only understand the precise significance of surrealism as an artistic movement if we see it in the context of a particular period, the years between the two world wars.”

“SURREALISM, n. Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner -- the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”

André Breton, Surrealist Manifesto)

Surrealist Artists/Photographers

Giorgio de Chirico (left)Heavily influenced the surrealist artists, although was never really one of them. He influenced many of the surrealists including Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Yves Tanguy who was inspired to start painting after seeing his work.

Salvador Dali (below)“The only difference between myself and a mad man, is that I am not mad”

Salvador DaliHe used surreal landscapes and symbolism in his work. He also used Freud’s theory of the subconscious mind.

Max Ernst (below)

He was associated with Dada after the first WW. Created and used techniques associated with surrealism such as frottage (which uses pencil rubbings of objects as a source of images), 'grattage' (in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of the objects placed beneath) also explored with the technique of decalcomania.

René MagritteMagritte's work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things. e.g. His 'Ceci n'est pas' images, pipes apples etcRené Magritte described his paintings as "visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean?'. It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

Frida KahloShe spent her life in constant pain. - This is evidenced clearly in herself portraits, often featuring her lying in bed or with nails sticking into her etc.

Yves TanguyHe became a painter by chance after seeing a painting by Giorgio de Chirico. Alien/abstract landscapes. Abstract shapes that resembling shards of glass. Joined the surrealists in 1926.

Man Ray (below)Involved in ‘avant garde’, Dada and surrealism art movements. Used photomontage and created new techniques such as photogram ‘ray o graphs’.

Lee Miller (left)More famous for modelling for the surrealists (mainly Man Ray) but her work was heavily influenced by surrealism.

Maurice tabard (below)French photographer. Started as a painter. Became a photographer in 1916 when he met man ray and was introduced solarisation. Experimented with multiple exposures and photomontage.

Philippe Halsman (below)Was a fashion photographer. Close friends with Dali, featured in some of his photos.

Otto UmbehrGerrman, Avant Guarde, self-taught photographer. Same time as the surrealists. Used photomontage and titled the camera to create distortions.

Hans Belmer Made and photographed dolls. Creates an effect of the ‘uncanny’ within his photos.

André Kertesz (below)Not generally associated with surrealists. Distortion series shot in America in 1933 shows heavy surrealist influences. Around the same time as the surrealists were creating art.

Eugéne Atget (below)Not generally called a surrealist. Surrealists embraced Eugene Atget's photographs of paris and published them in La revolution Surrealiste in 1926. His images of vanished paris were seen as the spontaneous visions of an urban primitive – the surrealists recognised their own vision of the city as a 'dream capital', an urban labyrinth of memory and desire. Embraces the uncanny slightly.

Jean moral (left)Began photographing Paris in 1925. Photograms, double exposure. Work was published in many of the major publications of the time. Used tight compositions and graphic abstraction. Work was used by surrealist George Hugnet in a collage

Dora maar (right)Became prominent with the surrealist in the late 1920’s/ 1930’s Work included photomontages, portraits, nudes, landscapes, fashion, and street scenes. The state of sleep was very dominant in her work

Modern “Surrealists”

Vladimir Kush (left)Modern artist, heavy influence of surrealism present in his work esp. Dali.

Jerry Uelsman (right)Believed through photography he could live outside of himself in a world through the lensComposite photographs from multiple negatives,An image needn’t be tied to a single negativeStays away from digital, creative process is linked to the darkroom.

Fran Herbello (below right)Likes to play with the everyday to create

something new. Breaks the usual way of seeing the familiar (the uncanny). Makes images that will either shock or make you laugh. Identity being restructured by the digital.

Domen Lombergar (below left)Contemporary Slovenian Digital Artist Surrealist style “What is the point of art, if not to create a world better than reality?”“I work with the unlimited possibilities of the computer, and also with the traditional mediums of paper, pencils, paints and canvas” Can see many surrealist influences in his work e.g. Magritte and Dali

Catherine McIntyreTwo images from her ‘Dreams’ and ‘Nightmares’ collections. In this way we can see a resemblance to the surrealists. Use of Photoshop, negative and solarised parts.