Surrealism - The Weird And The Cool

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By Kathleen Karlsen

The arena of subjective, inner realities is perhaps best embodied in the art movement known as Surrealism. The First Surrealist Manifesto, authored by André Breton in 1924, emphasized the value of the unconscious. According to Breton and the group of artists which shared his views, the traditional didactic purposes of art were no longer valid. Art's purpose was not to instruct or to inspire but to research and to record the elusive truths lurking below the conscious mind.

In order to access this valuable information, an alternative to normal, waking consciousness would have to be induced. This was referred to as automatism and was achieved by shutting down the mind with fatigue, alcohol, drugs, starvation or sleeplessness. When the images of the true self emerged, the artist did not exercise control over them, but functioned as an almost mechanical recording device. The resulting visions were often nightmarish rather than beautiful.

For Breton and other Surrealists, this style of life and art represented freedom from moral, aesthetic and rational constraints. In contrast with Freud's curative efforts, Breton and his group saw neurosis as a desirable state of permanent dreams. The Surrealists believed that by casting off the logical view of reality, the boundary between the inner self and the outer self could be dissolved. This approach was in sharp contrast with the traditional focus of utilizing art to order and systematize the experiences of life. Chance associations, the unexpected and the accidental were highly valued. For better or worse, surrealism was an unedited exaltation of eroticism, violence and obsession.

Kathleen Karlsen, MA is a professional artist, a freelance writer and design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Her unique artwork and gifts for flower lovers can be found at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com For an illustrated article on flower symbolism, see http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm More about flower meanings are at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowermeaning.htm

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