Surrealism
Art History
Ms. Blaylock
Kay Sage
What is an “ism”?
An “ism” is a suffix at the end of many English
words. It comes from Greek “ismos” and Latin
“ismus”.
You have seen it at the end of words like
optimism, Buddhism, racism, favoritism, and
terrorism.
A few art “isms”
It signifies a belief, practice,
idea, or movement. In art, there
are many movements that end in
ism.
Impressionism
Cubism
Pointillism
Realism
Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism was started
in the 1920s.
Surrealism represents
unreal situations,
depicted realistically.
“The situations are impossible,
but if they were to happen,
that’s what it would look like.”
Surrealism
Surrealist artists focus
on things found in the
imagination or fantasy.
You might find every
day objects as the
subject in surrealism…
However, they aren’t
doing every day
things.
The Son of Man by Rene Magritte
Exquisite
Corpse
Artists pass
around a single
drawing, working
from each others
previous
drawings.
Surrealist would
play this game
with each other to
help generate
ideas for their art.
André Breton, Valentine Hugo,
Greta Knutson, Tristan Tzara
Exquisite Corpse
ca. 1930
ink on paper
9 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.
Giorgio De Chirico
The Melancholy and Mystery
of a Street
1914
oil on canvas
34 1/4 x 28 1/4 in.
Giorgio De Chirico
The Great Metaphysician
1917
oil on canvas
41 1/8 x 27 1/2 in.
Rene Magritte
Belgian artist, Rene Magritte
selected many objects in and
around his home for subjects
in his work.
Some of these objects can
still be viewed in his home,
now a museum in Brussels.
René Magritte
Time Transfixed
1938
oil on canvas
57 1/2 x 38 1/2 in.
Golconde
Red Model
Clairvoyance
René Magritte
The False Mirror
1928
oil on canvas
21 1/4 x 21 7/8 in.
Kay Sage (1898-1963)
Kay Sage is an American Surrealist
artist and poet. She worked in the
United States and around Europe.
Le Passage by Kay Sage, 1956
Danger, Construction Ahead by Kay
Sage, 1940
Margin of
Silence by Kay
Sage, 1942.
Tomorrow is
Never by Kay
Sage, 1955.
Salvador Dali
Spanish artist,
Salvador Dali is a
very well known
surrealist. He
created a lot of
art in his lifetime
and was very
successful.
His moustache is as
famous as his art.
Salvador Dali
The Metamorphosis of Narcissus
1937
oil on canvas
51.2 x 78.5 cm
Self Portrait
by Salvador Dali
Max Ernst with Katchina by Dorothea
Tanning
Max Ernst
La Joie de Vivre
1936
oil on canvas
28 3/4 x 36 1/4 in.
Max Ernst
Europe After the Rain
1940-42
oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 58 1/8 in.
Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)
Dorothea Tanning was an
American painter, sculptor,
printmaker, and writer. She also
worked with preforming artists,
creating set designs and
costumes for ballet and theatre.
A little night music, 1946
Dorothea Tanning
Maternity, 1946
Dorothea Tanning
So, what is surrealism?
To put it simply, it is a realistic
depiction of an unreal situation.
Why do you think surreal art
become popular?
Maybe, because was something new
and the art world had never seen
anything so different.
Sometimes surrealist artist appear to
be just sticking different images
together, that don’t really belong
together, but somehow it fits…
Some artist will literally
collage pictures together
without any traditional art
supplies.