“Surrealism relies in the belief of a superior reality of certain forms of association, not taken into account until today, in the omnipotence of dream and unselfish thought process. Definitely tends to raze all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute in solving the major problems of life. “Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, André Breton.
Some interesting quotes from André Breton:
“We must not carry our thoughts with the weight of our shoes.”
“Forbidden to forbid.”
“What is wealth? Nothing, if not spent, nothing, if wasted.”
“Power to the imagination.”
“The thoughts and words are synonymous.”
“Beloved imagination, what I love about all of you is that you do not forgive.”
“Every idea that triumphs march to their doom.”
“There is no point being alive if you have to work.”
“When two people who love collide, do not mix, they break.”
“At first, it is not about to understand but to love.”
“Crazy people are, to some extent, victims of their imagination, in the sense that it causes them to break certain rules, rules whose transgression defines the quality of crazy.”
The theme of dreams in painting developed strongly during the surrealist movement and today remains an issue of inspiration.
For the Surrealists were fascinated by the subject of dreams especially for his discovery of the theories of Sigmund Freud, the discovery of the “Ego” and “irrational or subconscious.” The result was the union of psychology and painting … what visual bomb!
In this post I present some of the best painters of dreams of surrealism.
PAINTERS AND PAINTINGS OF DREAMS
GIORGIO DE CHIRICO
Name: The Return of the poet. 1911.
This work of Chirico led Breton to define the painter as the poet precursor of surrealism. It is believed that the picture speaks about the poet Isidore Ducasse, Comte de Lautréamont called, whom the Surrealists rescued from forgetfulness, and made him one of the pioneers of the movement.
Name: Conquest of the philosopher. 1914. Oil – 125,1 x 99,1 cm.
SALVADOR DALÍ
The Temptation of St. Anthony and Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Before Awakening.
ANDRÉ MASSON
The Labyrinth
JOAN MIRÓ
This is the color of my dreams. 1925, work in which is incorporated, as a visual poem, a text with the title of the painting. The painter said that made no distinction between poetry and painting.
La siesta, 1925.
YVES TANGUY
The old horizon, 1928. This painting is one of the first pictures that started with this style, after meeting Breton. Painting intense and full of mystery.
RENÉ MAGRITTE
The magician’s accomplices, 1927. Magritte said “There is no doubt that a feeling pure and vigorous, called eroticism, has saved me from falling into the traditional pursuit of formal perfection.”
PAUL DELVAUX
Dream
And other artists like OSCAR DOMÍNGUEZ, ROBERTO MATTA and JACQUES HÉROLD
But above all we must know Marx Ernst, leader of surrealism and deserves a theme party and especially dedicated to him.(See entry on Max Ernst)
The other hand are the new surreal. Contemporary artists that nowadays do paintings with similar ideas. It is also called as Magic Realism, by the mystery of the scenes.
Websites related to these contemporary styles:
http://www.surrealismnow.com/ and http://www.artofimagination.org/
