STORY

A Rough Guide to Surrealism

Every student's house you've ever been in has a Dali poster on the wall and people are always telling you they had a surreal time somewhere. So why is it the minute you walk into a Surrealism exhibition, you find yourself thinking 'What does it all mean?'

If this is you, read on. If not, where were you when I was trying to write this piece? Surrealism was a revolutionary movement in the inter-war period. It began in the written word but is now best known for its influence on artists like Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. The term surreal translates into English as 'super-real' - the surrealists wanted to create something more real than reality. They believed we are taught only half the story and argued that if we want to develop our unconscious minds to truly perceive the world, we should rid them of conscious thoughts and let ideas run free.
Surrealist art was often formed in a method similar to the word association games I played as a child. The Exquisite Corpse is the best known example of this.
As the movement grew, it split into two groups. The first, which included Joan Miro, continued to paint their impulses. Miro is heralded the most surreal because he painted without knowing what would develop.
Others such as Magritte and Dali, used figuarative imagery to spread confusion and undermine reality. Dali said he worked with a permanently disorientated mind. With it, he created disturbing images, like The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, in which the body of Narcissus on the left of the picture metamorphoses before our eyes into a hand holding an egg.
Magritte's images are the most challenging. Faced with one of his paintings, one feels that something is missing. In Man with a Newspaper, the canvas is split into four boxes. The man appears in the first box, but then disappears without explanation, which is disquieting.
In Surrealist art, there is no explanation. This is what makes it enticing and threatening at the same time. So, next time you see a Surrealist work, give it a second look. Don't ask what it means, for there is no meaning until you give it one.
To find out more about Surrealism, visit the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. There is an exhibition on the life of Edward James - the greatest British patron of Surrealist art. It is open until 26 July and there will be a series of lectures and gallery talks.

Deborah Hyde


A Rough Guide to Surrealism
	Every student's house you've ever been in has a Dali poster on the wall and people are always telling you they had a surreal time somewhere. So why is it the minute you walk into a Surrealism exhibition, you find yourself thinking 'What does it all mean?'
	If this is you, read on. If not, where were you when I was trying to write this piece? Surrealism was a revolutionary movement in the inter-war period. It began in the written word but is now best known for its influence on artists like Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. The term surreal translates into English as 'super-real' - the surrealists wanted to create something more real than reality. They believed we are taught only half the story and argued that if we want to develop our unconscious minds to truly perceive the world, we should rid them of conscious thoughts and let ideas run free. Surrealist art was often formed in a method similar to the word association games I played as a child. The Exquisite Corpse is the best known example of this. As the movement grew, it split into two groups. The first, which included Joan Miro, continued to paint their impulses. Miro is heralded the most surreal because he painted without knowing what would develop. Others such as Magritte and Dali, used figuarative imagery to spread confusion and undermine reality. Dali said he worked with a permanently disorientated mind. With it, he created disturbing images, like The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, in which the body of Narcissus on the left of the picture metamorphoses before our eyes into a hand holding an egg. Magritte's images are the most challenging. Faced with one of his paintings, one feels that something is missing. In Man with a Newspaper, the canvas is split into four boxes. The man appears in the first box, but then disappears without explanation, which is disquieting. In Surrealist art, there is no explanation. This is what makes it enticing and threatening at the same time. So, next time you see a Surrealist work, give it a second look. Don't ask what it means, for there is no meaning until you give it one. To find out more about Surrealism, visit the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. There is an exhibition on the life of Edward James - the greatest British patron of Surrealist art. It is open until 26 July and there will be a series of lectures and gallery talks.
	Deborah Hyde