What inspired Surrealism?

Surrealists—inspired by Sigmund Freud's theories of dreams and the unconscious—believed insanity was the breaking of the chains of logic, and they represented this idea in their art by creating imagery that was impossible in reality, juxtaposing unlikely forms onto unimaginable landscapes.

Surrealism is one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century. It was inspired by both the political theories of Karl Marx and the study of the unconscious mind (psychoanalysis), developed by Sigmund Freud in the 1890s.

The Surrealists sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination. Disdaining rationalism and literary realism, and powerfully influenced by psychoanalysis, the Surrealists believed the rational mind repressed the power of the imagination, weighing it down with taboos.

Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself.

The Surrealists first came together in 1924 in response to the carnage of World War I. Many of the artists had served in that conflict and became extremely antinationalistic and antimilitary.

Dalí was well acquainted with Freud and his ideas about sexual repression taking the form of dreams and delusions, and he was fascinated with the Surrealists' attempts to capture these dreams in paint.

Surrealism art started largely due to Dada Movement aftermath of WW 1. In 1920's a cultural movement began best known for its Visual artworks and writing.

Founded by the poet André Breton in Paris in 1924, Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement. It proposed that the Enlightenment—the influential 17th- and 18th-century intellectual movement that championed reason and individualism—had suppressed the superior qualities of the irrational, unconscious mind.

Surrealist artists sought to explore the realm of the unconscious and dreams through their work, creating bizarre, dreamlike images that defied logical interpretation. At its core, surrealism is characterized by three main themes: dreams, the unconscious, and the irrational.

André Breton, born on February 18, 1896 in Tinchebray, France, was a French writer and poet, and recognized as the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of Surrealism.

The members of the Surrealist movement stood as a reaction against the “rationalism” which they believed had contributed to the horrifying events of World War I.

In the Surrealists' view, the insane created their own reality to satisfy their deepest desires, and as a result they were happy. The Surrealist goal was not to promote so-called normal psychological lives, but on the contrary to make reality accord with the “abnormality” of unconscious desires.

The Surrealist art movement combined elements of its predecessors, Dada and cubism, to create something unknown to the art world. The movement was first rejected, but its eccentric ideas and unique techniques paved the way for a new form of art. The Surrealist art movement stemmed from the earlier Dada movement.

At the age of 16, Dali famously said "I'll be a genius, and the world will admire me. Perhaps I'll be despised and misunderstood, but I'll be a genius, a great genius, I'm certain of it." He spent the rest of his life proving this statement, and as he predicted, he was termed a madman by some, and genius by others.

Frida Kahlo combined realism, surrealism, and fantasy with icons from her Mexican culture to create magical art. One of her favorite subjects was her own beautiful face. Art historians classify Kahlo's art as Surrealism, although Kahlo herself didn't consider herself a surrealist.

The main goal for Surrealist artists was to embrace automatism and to release the mind's imagination and unconscious thoughts, which was interpreted differently by each artist.

Abstract Expressionism (1940s–1950s)

Shaped by the legacy of Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York after WWII. It's often referred to as the New York School or action painting.

Surrealist painting was influenced not only by Dadaism but also by the fantastic and grotesque images of such earlier painters as Hieronymus Bosch and Francisco Goya and of closer contemporaries such as Odilon Redon, Giorgio de Chirico, and Marc Chagall.

As detailed above, after the disbanding of the various Dada groups, many of the artists joined other art movements - in particular Surrealism. In fact, Dada's tradition of irrationality and chance led directly to the Surrealist love for fantasy and expression of the imaginary.

Surrealism officially began with Dadaist writer André Breton's 1924 Surrealist manifesto, but the movement formed as early as 1917, inspired by the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico, who captured street locations with a hallucinatory quality.

Its powerful art continues to offer a new direction for exploration – from its beginnings in Paris in 1924 to today.

There are five common themes in surrealistic artwork: juxtaposition, scale, repetition, metamorphosis, and impossible actions. Often these themes are used together, and sometimes it is difficult to tell what category an image would fall into.

Although Salvador Dali had a tumultuous relationship with the Surrealist group, the Spanish painter remains one of the most famous Surrealist artists today. The melting clocks in Persistence of Memory are one of Dali's most famous and reproduced images, but his surrealist work goes far beyond this painting.

Who Are the 6 Most Famous Surrealist Artists?

Breton's hatred of war led him to an intense investigation of Sigmund Freud's psychotherapeutic practices. He developed a passion for psychiatric art that tapped into the subconscious, which informed his interest in Dada, and later, Surrealism.

Best known for its comparison of uncommon things, Surrealism consisted of uncomfortable, illogical scenes and creatures made from everyday objects, painted in photo-like detail, with the main idea being the merging of the awake and the dream world, creating something that exists in between both.

Decline and Lasting Influence

By the middle of World War II, Avant-garde movements – including surrealism, began to fall out of favour in the public eye, and artistic and literary tastes began to swing towards the less revolutionary and often romanticised Abstract Expressionism.