What is Surrealism Art – Definition, Artists, & Examples

Surrealism is an artistic & cultural movement that traces its origin back to the 1920s & 1930s. Surrealism art is characterized by irrational and bizarre elements that defy all the fundamental laws of nature and science.

If you’re curious about this art movement, read ahead as we do a deep dive into all the key aspects of this concept. We will cover everything from the origin, most popular surrealist artists, well-known surrealist art, controversies, and much more.

So, if you want to know the nitty-gritty of surrealism art, this is the perfect resource for you.

What Is Surrealism?

Surrealism is an art movement that began in the early 20th century, aiming to break away from traditional ways of seeing the world. Surrealist artists wanted to create works that felt dreamlike, strange, and sometimes bizarre.

It is built around exploring the unconscious mind, dreams, and irrationality. Here’s a short explanation of these core concepts:

Dreams

Surrealists believed dreams were a gateway to the unconscious mind. They believed that is where our deepest desires, fears, and irrational thoughts hide.

They viewed dreams as a powerful source of inspiration for art, as they represented a world free from the constraints of logic and reason.

Surrealist artists wanted to capture the bizarre and often contradictory images that appear in dreams, using them to express emotions and ideas.

The Unconscious Mind

The mind, and especially the unconscious mind, deeply fascinated surrealist artists. They considered it the source of untapped creativity.

By tapping into the unconscious, Surrealist artists wanted to unlock deeper truths about human nature. They wanted to break away from the conscious mind’s logical constraints.

Irrationality

The Surrealists wanted to break away from normal thinking and embrace the weird and illogical. They ignored the usual rules of harmony, order, and reason seen in earlier art styles.

They challenged the structured way in which people and art were typically viewed.

Also, check out Art Nouveau: Influence of Art History on Modern Design

Why is Surrealism Important in Art History?

This movement played a huge role in reshaping how we think about art. By tapping into the unconscious mind and focusing on dreams and imagination, Surrealism allowed artists to break free from traditional techniques and perspectives.

It redefined art by pushing boundaries and showing us that creativity has no limits.

Also, check out Cubism In Graphic Design – Art Influences and History

Key Principles of Surrealism Art

Automatism

Automatism is a key principle in Surrealism art, where artists let go of conscious control and allow their subconscious minds to take over. This means creating art without thinking too much about it.

The artists let their hands move freely, and the ideas flow naturally. The goal is to tap into the unconscious mind, where hidden thoughts and desires reside.

This approach can lead to spontaneous works of art filled with unexpected forms and patterns.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is all about placing two unrelated objects or ideas side by side to create something new and often surreal. Combining things that don’t usually go together can create strange, surprising, or unsettling results.

It challenges how we see the world by presenting us with contradictions or unfamiliar pairings that make us question reality. It’s like seeing a clock melting or a fish swimming in the sky, totally out of place, but somehow it works in the surrealist world.

Transformation of Reality

The transformation of reality is about taking the ordinary and turning it into something strange or magical. Surrealist artists often distorted or altered everyday objects to give them new meanings or new life.

By changing how we perceive things, they challenge our understanding of the world around us. Reality is no longer fixed; it becomes dream-like and open to interpretation.

Also, check out The Influence of Art History on Modern Pop Art – A Deep Dive

Origin Of Surrealism

The Birth of Surrealism

Surrealism started after World War I when many people felt lost and traumatized by the horrors of the war. The war, along with new technology and societal changes, created a need for fresh ways to express art.

They wanted to break away from old art styles and think differently. The movement began in Paris in the 1920s, led by poet and critic André Breton, who published the first Surrealist Manifesto.

Ideas from thinkers like Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud inspired surrealism. Freud’s theories about dreams and the mind pushed Surrealists to experiment with techniques like automatic writing and free association.

They believed these methods would help them tap into their subconscious and unlock new ideas. This process allowed them to explore their imagination freely.

Also, check out Modern Baroque Art History and Influence on Modern Design

Influences of Dadaism and Freud’s Psychoanalysis On Surrealism Art

Before Surrealism, there was Dadaism, another movement that rejected traditional art. Dada artists didn’t believe in following any rules and wanted to shock people with strange and random ideas.

Surrealists took this rebellious attitude but went further by focusing on dreams and the unconscious. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychology, also influenced Surrealism.

His ideas about the unconscious mind and dreams helped Surrealist artists explore feelings and thoughts that people don’t always know they have.

Also, check out What Is Maximalism – Understanding This Style With Examples

Who Founded Surrealism and Why?

Surrealism was founded by Andre Breton, a French poet and writer. He created the movement to free the mind from the limits of logic and reality.

Inspired by Freud’s ideas about dreams and the unconscious, Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924. He explained the movement’s goals and ideas in this manifesto, attracting artists and writers eager to challenge old thinking and create something new.

Also, check out 10 Most Famous Graphic Designers & Their Iconic Designs

Who Are The Most Popular Surrealist Artists?

Salvador Dali

Dali’s Surrealist paintings are undoubtedly some of his best work, even though his love for excess sometimes made him overcrowd his canvases with too many repetitive, shocking images. However, at his best, Dali was a master draftsman, creating clean and precise art.

Take “The Persistence of Memory” for example. It features three melting watches and a fourth watch covered in ants. One of the watches rests on a strange, biomorphic shape that resembles a mollusk but is meant to represent Dalí’s deflated head.

When New York dealer Julien Levy bought the painting in 1931, he described it as “10 x 14 inches of Dalí dynamite.” The work was later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1934, capturing viewer’s imagination while leaving them puzzled.

One critic even suggested readers should “page Dr. Freud” to help decode the meaning behind the piece.

Also, check out The Golden Ratio In Art Explained With Examples

Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte created art that was full of mystery and symbolism. His paintings often show everyday objects in unusual settings, making us question reality.

One of his most famous works, The Son of Man, shows a man with his face hidden behind an apple, symbolizing the hidden nature of reality. Magritte’s art makes us think deeply about what we see and how we understand the world.

Also, check out The Secrets of the Surreal Fashion Retouching

Max Ernst

Max Ernst was a key figure in the Surrealist movement, renowned for his experimental approach to creating art. He used techniques like collage, where he cut out images from magazines or books and rearranged them in unexpected ways.

He also pioneered frottage, a technique where he would place paper over textured surfaces and rub it with a pencil to capture strange, random patterns. These methods helped him create dreamlike, often bizarre images that were far from anything seen before.

Ernst was a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, constantly pushing the boundaries of what art could be. His innovative approaches gave a new dimension to Surrealism, making it more unpredictable and exciting.

Also, check out 9 Famous Portrait Paintings People Recreated Through Photos

Frida Kahlo

Mexican artist Kahlo didn’t see herself as a surrealist. She said she painted the reality she experienced, not her dreams. Still, art critics often talk about her work as part of surrealism.

Kahlo’s strong connection to her emotions and thoughts fit her paintings well with surrealist styles. Many of her works focus on her difficult life, especially her illness and her relationship with Diego Rivera.

Also, check out Art History: Frida Kahlo and Her Influence on Graphic Design

Andre Breton

Andre Breton was a French writer and theorist who coined the term “Surrealism.” He played a key role in shaping the movement by defining its ideas and goals.

Breton believed surrealism could reveal deeper truths by tapping into the unconscious mind, allowing artists to express more than just logical thoughts. In his 1924 Manifesto of Surrealism, he called for a new way of creating art that combined dreams with reality.

Through his work and leadership, Breton helped surrealism become an important movement in art, literature, and culture.

Also, check out Art History: Pop Art Motifs That Still Influence Modern Design

Famous Surrealist Paintings

1. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

This iconic painting features melting clocks draped over various objects in a desolate landscape. Dali used the clocks to symbolize the fluidity and relativity of time.

This challenged the traditional perception of time as fixed and constant.

2. The Son of Man, Surrealist Painting by Rene Magritte

In this self-portrait, a man’s face is hidden behind a floating apple, raising questions about identity and concealment.

The painting reflects themes of mystery, the unknown, and how what is visible may not always represent the whole truth. This kind of surrealism-themed art was a breath of fresh air and quite intriguing at the time.

Also, check out Gothic Graphic Design: The Influence of Art History on Modern Design

3. The Elephants By Salvador Dali

This painting showcases enormous elephants with spindly, elongated legs, carrying obelisks on their backs. The surreal size and oddity of the creatures represent the tension between illusion and reality.

Such bizarre concepts that would never cross one’s conscious thoughts were used to shock the viewers and stand out from the crowd.

Also, check out 10 Best Drawing Apps for iPad For Graphic Designers

4. The Lovers By Rene Magritte

This painting depicts two figures, their heads covered by white cloths, embracing but unable to fully connect due to their concealed identities.

It explores themes of desire, separation, and the emotional distance that often exists in relationships. Surrealist artists usually played with psychological theories and concepts and tried to convey messages using art.

Such paintings looked bizarre at first sight, and on a longer inspection, one could come up with their own interpretation of the message behind it.

This gave the paintings an extra dimension and made them popular among the masses.

5. The Barbarians, Surrealist Painting by Max Ernst

In The Barbarians, Max Ernst shows strange figures that look part human and part animal. These figures seem like they belong to an ancient, mysterious world.

Using a mix of collage and painting, Ernst blended reality with fantasy, creating an unsettling atmosphere. The painting explored ideas of power, chaos, and the unknown, which are common themes in surrealism, focusing on dreams and the unconscious mind.

6. Leonora Carrington, Surrealism Self-Portrait

In Self-Portrait, Leonora Carrington presents a surreal and mysterious image of herself, blending her own identity with fantasy elements. The painting features Carrington surrounded by strange creatures and symbols, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Her face is calm, yet the surreal environment hints at deeper layers of her inner world, exploring themes of transformation, magic, and personal identity. Her use of vibrant colors and unusual forms reflects her connection to the unconscious mind, a common theme in surrealist art.

7. Harlequin’s Carnival by Joan Miro

In Harlequin’s Carnival, Joan Miro fills the canvas with bright colors and abstract shapes. The painting shows playful figures and forms that seem to move, creating a lively, dreamlike scene.

You can spot a harlequin figure and other fun, imaginary creatures. Miro blends reality with imagination, capturing the spirit of surrealism. The painting focuses on freedom, creativity, and the unconscious mind.

Also, check out The Secrets Of Fine Art Retouching By Luca Storelli

8. Mama, Papa is Wounded, Surrealist Painting by Yves Tanguy

The surreal landscape in Yves Tanguy’s painting Mama, Papa is Wounded is strongly influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and its use of symbols. After World War II, Tanguy and fellow Surrealist Andre Breton researched the experiences of war veterans and turned their stories into abstract artwork.

The title of the painting suggests a child’s cry and symbolizes broken family relationships. However, Tanguy never revealed the true meaning of the abstract symbols, leaving them open to interpretation.

Also, check out 460 Colorful Abstract Backgrounds Bundle

9. Ulu’s Pants By Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington was an important multidisciplinary artist in the surrealist movement, active and recognized by its founders, especially between 1937 and 1947. Her roles as a writer, painter, sculptor, weaver, and mother profoundly influenced her work.

In Ulu’s Pants, Leonora Carrington creates a whimsical and surreal scene filled with strange creatures and dreamlike imagery. The painting features a character named Ulu, whose pants take on an exaggerated, almost otherworldly form.

Carrington blends fantasy with reality, using bold colors and unusual shapes to tell a playful and mysterious story. The painting explores themes of identity, transformation, and the absurd, characteristic of Carrington’s style and the surrealist movement.

10. Indefinite Divisibility Surrealist Painting by Yves Tanguy

In Indefinite Divisibility, Yves Tanguy creates a surreal, abstract landscape filled with strange, organic shapes and forms. The painting features an otherworldly environment, with figures that seem to shift and break apart, suggesting a sense of endless fragmentation.

Tanguy’s smooth, flowing lines and soft colors give the scene a dreamlike, almost alien quality. The painting explores the idea of constant change and the blur between the physical and the abstract, which is a typical characteristic of surrealist art.

Also, check out Alignment Photography – Importance, Tips, and Examples

11. Egg in the Church or the Snake – Surrealist Art by Andre Breton

Andre Breton played a key role in the original Surrealist movement by writing the manifesto and contributing to surrealist theory through his writings, publications, and debates with Georges Bataille.

While Egg in the Church or the Snake isn’t a painting but a collage, it is still considered part of Surrealist art due to its exploration of the author’s role, the expansion of media, and its pioneering use of photo-montage as a visual experiment.

The work’s cryptic, dreamlike symbols tackle the theme of sexual desire being repressed by the Christian religion.

Also, check out Illusion Photography Uncovered: Types, Tips & Examples

12. Bridget Bate Tichenor, Untitled (Egg Figures)

In this painting, Bridget Bate Tichenor creates a surreal, dreamlike scene with shapes that look like eggs, surrounded by weird and mysterious symbols. The smooth, flowing shapes mix the natural with the strange, giving the painting a sense of change or transformation.

The soft colors and lines pull you into a mysterious world, with the egg shapes hinting at ideas like birth, growth, and hidden emotions. It’s a classic surrealist piece, full of symbols that make you think about deeper feelings and desires.

Also, check out How To Use Unity In Photography – Explained With Examples

13. Self-Portrait by Rita Kernn-Larsen (Know Thyself)

Rita Kernn-Larsen created a striking image of herself, blending realism with surreal elements. The painting shows her face surrounded by symbolic objects representing different aspects of her inner world, such as personal thoughts, emotions, and identity.

Through these symbols, Kernn-Larsen invites viewers to reflect on the complexity of the self and the idea of self-awareness.

14. The Robing of the Bride, A Surrealism Painting By Max Ernst

In The Robing of the Bride, Max Ernst uses surreal elements to explore themes of identity, transformation, and relationships. The painting shows a mysterious scene where a woman is being dressed, but the figures and objects around her look bizarre and otherworldly.

Ernst combines dreamlike and strange elements, like distorted bodies and unusual creatures, to challenge traditional views of the bride and marriage.

Also, check out Exploring Retro Futurism – Origin, Characteristics & Art

15. Hand-Shell, a Surrealist Painting by Dora Maar

In this painting, Dora Maar blends surrealism with a sense of mystery and emotion. The painting features a large, abstract hand holding a shell, with the shell almost blending into the hand itself.

The image plays with the idea of the connection between the human form and nature, evoking a feeling of both intimacy and strangeness. Maar’s use of soft colors and dreamlike details creates a surreal atmosphere.

Also, check out Famous Art Used In Advertising: 15 Painting Ads Examples

In conclusion, surrealist art takes us beyond the everyday world and invites us to explore our hidden thoughts, feelings, and imaginations. From famous works like Dali’s The Persistence of Memory to the mysterious art of Dora Maar and Max Ernst, surrealism encourages us to look at things in new ways.

With its strange symbols and dreamlike images, surrealism helps us dive into deeper parts of the human experience. Surrealism still inspires today, showing that art is not just about what we see but about what we feel and imagine beyond the surface.

Like this post? Check out more art and design history content on our blog.