Surrealism is a cultural and artistic movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members. Many surrealists work is an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the art they create - being an artifact. Presenting this art to the viewers, allows the artist to start a discussion in one’s mind. The key aspects cannot be categorized or listed due to the fact that they can touch on every culture, religion, political view or even personal experience and knowledge. It is well known that every artist has a different way of expressing the deep message carried in every surrealistic piece. This is understood by the viewer’s mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind, defined by Sigmund Freud as the unconscious. An example proving that is the work of the American identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay, better known as the Brothers Quay (or Quay Brothers). They are influential stop-motion surrealist animators.
A way to present the key aspects of surrealism is by looking into André Breton’s work. Two Surrealist Manifestos (Le Manifeste du Surréalisme) were issued by the Surrealist movement. The first was written by him and the second one was done under his supervision in 1924 and 1929, respectively. The first Surrealist manifesto defines Surrealism as:
“Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner -- the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”
The text demonstrates many examples of the applications of Surrealism to poetry and literature, but also making it clear that Surrealism can be applied in any circumstance and it is not enclosed by the boundaries of the artistic realm. If surrealism had to be described visually, it would be a machine, which uses the artist’s ideas as input, then scrambles them using a unique algorithm, and as a result produces a visual artwork which can provoke deep contemplation from any viewer.
