Surrealism is an artistic, philosophical, intellectual and political movement that aimed to break down the boundaries of rationalization to access the imaginative subconscious. It is a descendent of the movement, which disregarded tradition and the use of conscious form in favor of the ridiculous. First gaining popularity in the 1920s and founded by Andre Breton, the approach relies on Freudian psychological concepts. Guiding PrinciplesProponents of surrealism believed that the subconscious was the best inspiration for art. They thought that the ideas and images within the subconscious mind was more “true” or “real” than the concepts or pictures the rational mind could create. Under this, even the ridiculous had extreme value and could provide better insights into a culture or a person’s desires, likes or fears.A major reason why many people took issue with the movement was because it tossed away conventional ideas about what made sense and what was ugly.
Surrealism definition, a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.
In fact, much of what advocates produced was designed to break rules in overt ways. The art and writing of the style often holds images or ideas that, under traditional modes of thought, are disturbing, shocking or disruptive. Differing ViewpointsAlthough all surrealists agreed that the subconscious was the key to accessing the imagination, not all of them agreed on how to view the subconscious mind. This led to some differing views and practical applications. Two schools developed, automatism. An informative article, though i thought it lacks the original deeper motives and effects of this movement, i.e., social destructive revolution, negation of beliefs, etc.Also there need to be some examples regarding literary works, specifically plays and dramas, where the unrefined theories of this movement come to light when compared to proper reasoned shakespeare dramas, etc. Also,the importance of human psychology and thought which played the master role.Moderator's reply: Thank you for reading the article and for contributing to the discussion forums.
However, it is impossible to cover every aspect of a broad topic like surrealism in a 400-word article. Thanks again for reading and commenting! The wiseGEEK Team.