Surrealism  

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 +''[[What is Surrealism?]]'', a [[1934]] lecture by [[André Breton]].
 +<hr>
 +"Although the driving force of [[Surrealism]] came from [[André Breton]], there were [[dissident]]s who voiced their views in the periodical ''[[Documents]]'' beginning in April 1929. Writers [[Georges Bataille]] and [[Michel Leiris]] emerged as the main contributors. ''Documents'' was a direct challenge to "mainstream" Surrealism as championed by André Breton, who in his [[Second Surrealist Manifesto]] of 1929 derided Bataille as "(professing) to wish only to consider in the world that which is vilest, most discouraging, and most corrupted." After ''Documents'' folded a new group was formed: ''[[Acéphale]]''. The antagony between Breton and Bataille have even led some to speak of "Bretonian" and "Bataillean" strains of Surrealism." --Sholem Stein
 +|}
 +[[Image:Un autre monde by Grandville.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Interplanetary Bridge]], [[Surrealism avant la lettre]] from ''[[Un autre monde]]'' ([[1844]]) by [[Grandville]]]]
[[Image:Véritable portrait de Monsieur Ubu, par Alfred Jarry (1896).png|thumb|right|200px|'''''Ubu Roi''''' (King Ubu) is a [[play]] developed by [[Alfred Jarry]] premiered on [[December 10]] [[1896]], and is widely acknowledged as a theatrical [[precursor]] to the [[Theatre of the Absurd|Absurdist]], [[Dada]] and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] art movements.]] [[Image:Véritable portrait de Monsieur Ubu, par Alfred Jarry (1896).png|thumb|right|200px|'''''Ubu Roi''''' (King Ubu) is a [[play]] developed by [[Alfred Jarry]] premiered on [[December 10]] [[1896]], and is widely acknowledged as a theatrical [[precursor]] to the [[Theatre of the Absurd|Absurdist]], [[Dada]] and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] art movements.]]
-[[Image:Bracelli.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|Surrealism [[avant la lettre]] from the ''[[Bizzarie di varie figure]]'' ([[1624]]) by [[Giovanni Battista Braccelli]]]]+[[Image:Bracelli.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|thumb|[[Surrealism avant la lettre]] from the ''[[Bizzarie di varie figure]]'' ([[1624]]) by [[Giovanni Battista Braccelli]]]]
-[[Image:Un autre monde by Grandville.jpg|right|200px|Surrealism [[avant la lettre]] from ''[[Un autre monde]]'' ([[1844]]) by [[Grandville]]]]+
{{Template}} {{Template}}
-'''Surrealism''' was a [[20th century art]] and [[cultural movement]] that began in the mid-[[1920s]] in [[Europe]], and is best known for the [[visual art]]works and [[writing]]s of the group members. The works feature the element of [[surprise]], [[unexpected]] [[juxtaposition]]s and [[Non sequitur (absurdism)|non sequitur]], however many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost with the works being an [[artefact]], and leader [[André Breton]] was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a [[revolution]]ary movement. From the [[Dada]] activities of [[World War I]] Surrealism was formed with the most important center of the movement in [[Paris]] and from the [[1920s]] spreading around the globe. +'''Surrealism''' was a [[20th century art]] and [[cultural movement]] that began in the mid-[[1920s]] in [[Europe]], and is best known for the [[visual art]]works and [[writing]]s of the group members. The works feature the element of [[surprise]], [[unexpected]] [[juxtaposition]]s and [[Non sequitur (absurdism)|non sequitur]], however many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost with the works being an [[artefact]], and leader [[André Breton]] was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a [[revolution]]ary movement. From the [[Dada]] activities of [[World War I]] Surrealism was formed with the most important center of the movement in [[Paris]] and from the [[1920s]] spreading around the globe, impacting many other fields.
 + 
== Origin of the term == == Origin of the term ==
-In May [[1917]], [[Guillaume Apollinaire]] coined the term "Surrealism" in the program notes describing the ballet ''[[Parade]]'' which was a collaborative work by [[Jean Cocteau]], [[Erik Satie]], [[Pablo Picasso]] and [[Léonide Massine]]: +In May [[1917]], [[Guillaume Apollinaire]] coined the term "Surrealism" in the program notes describing the ballet ''[[Parade (ballet)|Parade]]'' which was a collaborative work by [[Jean Cocteau]], [[Erik Satie]], [[Pablo Picasso]] and [[Léonide Massine]]:
:"From this new alliance, for until now stage sets and costumes on one side and choreography on the other had only a sham bond between them, there has come about, in ''Parade'', a kind of super-realism ('sur-réalisme'), in which I see the starting point of a series of manifestations of this new spirit ('esprit nouveau')." :"From this new alliance, for until now stage sets and costumes on one side and choreography on the other had only a sham bond between them, there has come about, in ''Parade'', a kind of super-realism ('sur-réalisme'), in which I see the starting point of a series of manifestations of this new spirit ('esprit nouveau')."
== Bataillean vs Bretonian Surrealism == == Bataillean vs Bretonian Surrealism ==
-Breton was obviously the driving force behind surrealism, and he ran the movement in a dicatorial style, even expelling several of its members. Several of these ex-members started adhering to Georges Bataille's subversive "[[Bataillean]]" surrealism and the latter's journal ''[[Documents (journal)|Documents]]''.+:''[[Bretonian and Bataillean strains of Surrealism]]''
- +Breton was obviously the driving force behind surrealism, and he ran the movement in a dictatorial style, even expelling several of its members. Several of these ex-members started adhering to [[Georges Bataille]]'s subversive "[[Bataillean]]" surrealism and the latter's journal ''[[Documents (journal)|Documents]]''.
-== Impact of Surrealism ==+
- +
-While Surrealism is typically associated with the arts, it has been said to transcend them; Surrealism has had an impact in many other fields. In this sense, Surrealism does not specifically refer only to self-identified "Surrealists", or those sanctioned by Breton, rather, it refers to a range of creative acts of revolt and efforts to liberate imagination. +
- +
-In addition to Surrealist ideas that are grounded in the ideas of [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Hegel]], [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]], Surrealism is seen by its advocates as being inherently dynamic and as dialectic in its thought. Surrealists have also drawn on sources as seemingly diverse as [[Clark Ashton Smith]], [[Montague Summers]], [[Horace Walpole]], [[Fantômas]], [[The Residents]], [[Bugs Bunny]], [[comic strips]], the obscure poet [[Samuel Greenberg]] and the [[hobo]] writer and humourist [[T-Bone Slim]]. One might say that Surrealist strands may be found in movements such as [[free jazz]] ([[Don Cherry (jazz)|Don Cherry]], [[Sun Ra]], [[Cecil Taylor]] etc.) and even in the daily lives of people in confrontation with limiting social conditions. Thought of as the effort of humanity to liberate imagination as an act of insurrection against society, Surrealism finds precedents in the [[alchemy|alchemists]], possibly [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]], [[Hieronymus Bosch]], [[Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade|Marquis de Sade]], [[Charles Fourier]], [[Comte de Lautreamont]] and [[Arthur Rimbaud]]. +
- +
-Surrealists believe that non-Western cultures also provide a continued source of inspiration for Surrealist activity because some may strike up a better balance between instrumental reason and imagination in flight than Western culture. Surrealism has had an identifiable impact on radical and revolutionary politics, both directly — as in some Surrealists joining or allying themselves with radical political groups, movements and parties — and indirectly — through the way in which Surrealists' emphasize the intimate link between freeing imagination and the mind, and liberation from repressive and archaic social structures. This was especially visible in the [[New Left]] of the 1960s and 1970s and the [[May 1968|French revolt of May 1968]], whose slogan "All power to the imagination" rose directly from French Surrealist thought and practice.+
- +
-Many significant literary movements in the later half of the 20th century were directly or indirectly influenced by Surrealism. This period is known as the [[Postmodern]] era; though there's no widely agreed upon central definition of [[Postmodernism]], many themes and techniques commonly identified as Postmodern are nearly identical to Surrealism. Perhaps the writers within the Postmodern era who have the most in common with Surrealism are the playwrights of [[Theatre of the Absurd]]. Though not an organized movement, these playwrights were grouped together based on some similarities of theme and technique; these similarities can perhaps be traced to influence from the Surrealists. [[Eugène Ionesco]] in particular was fond of Surrealism, claiming at one point that Breton was one of the most important thinkers in history. [[Samuel Beckett]] was also fond of Surrealists, even translating much of the poetry into English; he may have had closer ties had the Surrealists not been critical of Beckett's mentor and friend [[James Joyce]]. Many writers from and associated with the [[Beat Generation]] were influenced greatly by Surrealists. [[Philip Lamantia]] and [[Ted Joans]] are often categorized as both Beat and Surrealist writers. Many other Beat writers claimed Surrealism as a significant influence. A few examples include [[Bob Kaufman]], [[Gregory Corso]], and [[Allen Ginsberg]]. In popular culture much of the [[Stream of consciousness writing|stream of consciousness]] song writing of the young [[Bob Dylan]], c. 1960s and including some of [[Bob Dylan|Dylan]]'s more recent writing as well, (c. mid - 1980s-2006) clearly have Surrealist connections and undertones. [[Magic Realism]], a popular technique among novelists of the latter half of the 20th century especially among Latin American writers, has some obvious similarities to Surrealism with its juxtaposition of the normal and the dream-like. The prominence of Magic Realism in Latin American literature is often credited in some part to the direct influence of Surrealism on Latin American artists ([[Frida Kahlo]], for example).+
- +
- +
- +
-===Surrealism and theatre===+
-*[[Surrealism and theatre]]+
- +
-===Surrealism and comedy===+
-Some branches of comedy (chiefly [[United Kingdom|British]], and also [[Japan]]ese) are known for being very surreal. Perhaps the most famous example of Surrealist comedy can be seen in the late 1960s-early 1970s British sketch show [[Monty Python]]. Also influential as an earlier example of [[United Kingdom|British]] [[satire]] was ''[[Beyond the Fringe]]'' a British comedy stage revue written and performed in [[London]] from 1960 through 1966, and in [[New York]] from 1962 through 1964, by [[Peter Cook]], [[Dudley Moore]], [[Alan Bennett]] and [[Jonathan Miller]]. The original cast was replaced in [[London]] after 1964. +
- +
-During the mid-1990s the American television program [[Mr. Show]] on [[HBO]] and [[Comedy Central]] has been described as surreal and its main performers have acknowledged being highly influenced by Monty Python on Mr. Show's DVD commentaries.+
== See also == == See also ==
-*[[Sade's influence on Surrealism in the twentieth century]]+* [[Freud's influence on Surrealism]]
 +*[[Surrealism avant la lettre]]
 +*[[Faultlines in 20th century art ]]
 +*[[Surrealist Manifesto]]
 +*[[Impact of Surrealism]]
 +*[[Criticism of Surrealism]]
*[[Timeline of surrealism and dada]] *[[Timeline of surrealism and dada]]
-*[[Belgian surrealism]] 
*[[International Surrealist Exhibition]] *[[International Surrealist Exhibition]]
*[[Surrealist groups]] *[[Surrealist groups]]
 +*[[Proto-Surrealism]]
 +===By field===
 +*[[Surrealism and comedy]]
 +*[[Surrealism and theatre]]
 +*[[Sade's influence on Surrealism]]
 +*[[Freud's influence on Surrealism]]
 +*[[Surrealism and international politics]]
*[[Surrealism and film]] *[[Surrealism and film]]
*[[Surrealism (music)]] *[[Surrealism (music)]]
*[[Surrealism in literature]] *[[Surrealism in literature]]
*[[Surrealist photography]] *[[Surrealist photography]]
-*[[Surrealist Manifesto]]+===By region===
 + 
 +===Surrealist groups===
 + 
 +==== Europe ====
 +*[[Czech surrealism]]
 +*[[French surrealism]]
 +*[[Polish surrealism]]
 +*[[Belgian Surrealists]]
 +*[[British Surrealist Group]]
 +**[[Birmingham Surrealists]]
 +***[[Glass Veal Group]]
 +*[[Spanish surrealism]]
 +**[[Dau-al-Set]]
 +*[[Swedish surrealism]]
 +**[[Halmstad]] Group
 +**[[The Surrealist Group in Stockholm]]
 + 
 +==== The Americas ====
 +*[[The Surrealist Movement in the United States]]
 +**[[Chicago Surrealist Group]]
 +*[[Caribbean Surrealism]]
 +*[[Black Surrealism]]
 +*[[Canadian Surrealism]]
 +**[[Les Automatistes]]
 +**[[Refus Global]]
 + 
 +===Literature===
*''[[The Waking Dream]]'', surrealism avant la lettre in masterprints *''[[The Waking Dream]]'', surrealism avant la lettre in masterprints
*''[[Sade / Surreal]]'' *''[[Sade / Surreal]]''

Revision as of 09:12, 7 November 2019

What is Surrealism?, a 1934 lecture by André Breton.


"Although the driving force of Surrealism came from André Breton, there were dissidents who voiced their views in the periodical Documents beginning in April 1929. Writers Georges Bataille and Michel Leiris emerged as the main contributors. Documents was a direct challenge to "mainstream" Surrealism as championed by André Breton, who in his Second Surrealist Manifesto of 1929 derided Bataille as "(professing) to wish only to consider in the world that which is vilest, most discouraging, and most corrupted." After Documents folded a new group was formed: Acéphale. The antagony between Breton and Bataille have even led some to speak of "Bretonian" and "Bataillean" strains of Surrealism." --Sholem Stein

Ubu Roi (King Ubu) is a play developed by Alfred Jarry premiered on December 10 1896, and is widely acknowledged as a theatrical precursor to the Absurdist, Dada and Surrealist art movements.
Enlarge
Ubu Roi (King Ubu) is a play developed by Alfred Jarry premiered on December 10 1896, and is widely acknowledged as a theatrical precursor to the Absurdist, Dada and Surrealist art movements.

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Surrealism was a 20th century art and cultural movement that began in the mid-1920s in Europe, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members. The works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur, however many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost with the works being an artefact, and leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement. From the Dada activities of World War I Surrealism was formed with the most important center of the movement in Paris and from the 1920s spreading around the globe, impacting many other fields.

Contents

Origin of the term

In May 1917, Guillaume Apollinaire coined the term "Surrealism" in the program notes describing the ballet Parade which was a collaborative work by Jean Cocteau, Erik Satie, Pablo Picasso and Léonide Massine:

"From this new alliance, for until now stage sets and costumes on one side and choreography on the other had only a sham bond between them, there has come about, in Parade, a kind of super-realism ('sur-réalisme'), in which I see the starting point of a series of manifestations of this new spirit ('esprit nouveau')."

Bataillean vs Bretonian Surrealism

Bretonian and Bataillean strains of Surrealism

Breton was obviously the driving force behind surrealism, and he ran the movement in a dictatorial style, even expelling several of its members. Several of these ex-members started adhering to Georges Bataille's subversive "Bataillean" surrealism and the latter's journal Documents.

See also

By field

By region

Surrealist groups

Europe

The Americas

Literature




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