Surréalisme

Surréalisme, or Surrealism in English, is a cultural and artistic movement that emerged in the 1920s, centered in Paris and spreading to other countries. It sought to liberate the imagination by tapping the unconscious mind, aiming to reconcile dream and reality and reveal truthful, non-realist ways of experiencing the world. The movement drew on Dada’s rejection of conventional values and on Freudian psychoanalysis, particularly the idea that hidden desires and images drive human behavior.

Origins and doctrine: The formal birth of surréalisme is often dated to the publication of the Manifesto du surréalisme by André Breton in 1924. Breton articulated the goals of a movement dedicated to poetic automatism, the transformation of life through surprise, and the overthrow of rational control. A 1929 Second Manifesto and a network of writers and visual artists helped establish a coherent program that combined theoretical essays with creative practice.

Techniques and artists: Surrealists employed methods such as automatic writing and drawing, the exquisite corpse, frottage and grattage, and dream-inspired imagery. Notable practitioners include artists like Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Yves Tanguy, and Meret Oppenheim, and writers such as Paul Éluard and Louis Aragon. Dalí’s meticulous dream imagery, Magritte’s enigmatic juxtapositions, and Ernst’s collages are among the movement’s enduring visual highlights.

Context and legacy: Surréalisme was repeatedly linked to political and social critique, including anti-bourgeois sentiments and, in the 1930s, engagement with leftist causes and anti-fascist initiatives. The Spanish Civil War and World War II contributed to displacements that spread surrealist ideas beyond Europe, influencing literature, cinema, and later art movements. The movement persisted beyond Breton’s leadership, shaping contemporary approaches to imagination, interpretation, and the primacy of the irrational.