Surrealism In Simple Terms

Surrealism as an art movement is hard to define, as like it’s art it is unpredictable and strange. The movement began in Paris around the 1920’s with the aim to create art that does not follow the laws of nature and societies built in expectations.

Surrealists were trying to create art that taps into the unconscious mind, often creating works that were often uncanny and absurd. They were interested in myth and primitivism which refers to creating art that reflects a natural state of life of humanity. Surrealists believed in the smaller meanings to life, minor moments that give humanity meaning.

The movement aimed to create dream-like art to trigger the same primal emotions that are felt in dreams, which reflects in the art to not follow natures and human laws. They believed in the power of imagination and the meaning of dreams. Dreams reflect a persons true self, their wants and their needs and they wanted to express these needs through the art medium.

The most famous surrealistic painting today is The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. The painting focuses on the concept of time, it’s fluidity as represented by the melting clocks and the imminent passage of time and decay as represented by the marching ants. The paintings ideas clash against each other, while time is irrelevant and but a concept of the human mind, it is unavoidable and does not stand still.

The Persistence of Time by Salvador Dali

Battle of Fishes by André Masson

The Barbarians by Max Ernst

This is what surrealism aims to achieve, to find meaning in concepts and simple ideas in everyday life through the unconscious mind. To ponder the simplicity in living and turning those moments into something greater, whether joyful of dreadful.