surrealisms

Surrealisms refers to the diverse manifestations of Surrealism, a cultural movement that emerged in the early 1920s, mainly in Paris. Guided by André Breton, Surrealism sought to release the unconscious as a source of authentic art. The 1924 Surrealist Manifesto defined its aim as expressing “pure psychic automatism” to reveal truth beyond rational control, and the movement spread across painting, literature, theatre, and cinema.

Core ideas include the primacy of dreams and the unconscious, a critique of bourgeois rationality, and the use of chance and juxtaposition to create wonder. Practitioners often used automatic techniques—writing, drawing, or collage—intended to bypass conscious selection. Psychoanalytic ideas, especially Freudian theory, influenced many participants, shaping imagery that merges desire, memory, and the uncanny.

Key painters and writers include Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Yves Tanguy, Paul Éluard, and Louis Aragon. In film, Luis Buñuel and Dalí collaborated on works such as Un Chien Andalou. Notable works associated with Surrealism include Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory and Magritte’s The Treachery of Images.

Techniques developed within Surrealism include the exquisite corpse, frottage, grattage, and decalcomanie, as well as automatic drawing and writing. Journals such as La Révolution surréaliste fostered collaboration and debate. While Breton led a core effort toward unity, Surrealism remained plural and occasionally fissured over politics and style.

Over time, Surrealism influenced modern art, literature, film, and design beyond Europe, with active groups in the Americas and elsewhere. Its lasting legacy lies in privileging imagination, the irrational, and the idea that reality can be reimagined through dreamlike imagery and critical perspective.