Art Movement

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”
― Salvador Dalí
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings. The aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to express itself.
The Surrealist movement was founded in Paris by a small group of writers and artists who sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination.
Beginnings
Though the Surrealist movement was officially founded in 1924, the term was first coined in 1917. It began as a literary group strongly allied to the Dada movement, and emerged in the wake of the collapse of the group in Paris. Andre Breton - is occasionally described as the 'Pope' of Surrealism.
Concepts and styles
Surrealism shared much of the anti-rationalism of Dada, the movement out of which it grew. However, Breton, who was a part of the Dada group, wanted to form a movement in which artists could unite to protest war by accessing subconscious thoughts. Surrealists were interested in exposing the complex and repressed inner worlds of sexuality, desire, and violence, and interest in these topics fostered transgressive behavior.
The Surrealists generated creative works that exposed the artists' inner minds in bizarre, symbolic ways in order to uncover anxieties and to treat them analytically through visual means. The Surrealists depicted dream imagery and archetypal symbols derived from their unconsciousness.
Further Developments:
  * Abstract Expressionism
  * Feminism and Women Surrealists

The Impact of Surrealism
Surrealism has come to be seen as the most influential movement in twentieth century art. Figures like Salvador Dalí and Man...