Manifestoes of Surrealism

The term Surrealism was coined in 1917 by Guillaume Apollinaire, a French playwright and poet. During and after World War I, as a response to the unparalleled violence of the conflict, artists across Europe established movements that embraced pure creative expression and sought to find meaning in the chaos that surrounded them. These movements included Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism. The Surrealist movement was established in 1924 when Breton wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto. The Surrealists were a divided movement from the start; just two weeks prior to the publication of Breton's work, another manifesto was written by Yves Goll. Goll’s group of Surrealists was ultimately less successful in claiming the title than Breton’s, and the term became synonymous with Breton’s specific brand of philosophy.

Surrealism is often referred to as a mature version of Dada. Despite being born out of Dada, Breton’s brand of Surrealism had a much different philosophical viewpoint and goal. Dada was founded as a wholesale rejection of the art industry and aimed to show viewers the inherent ridiculousness of defining certain things as art and others as "not art." Surrealism maintained many of the same unconventional styles and nonconformist attitudes of its forebear, especially the automatic writing process. However, Surrealists accepted their place within the art world and hoped to save art from the many threats to it that they perceived, including consumerism, conformity, and logic.

Breton’s Surrealists were highly influenced by Freudian psychology, particularly The Interpretation of Dreams. Freud himself rejected this association and believed the Surrealists used his techniques incorrectly. Freud saw dreams as a way of using subconscious thoughts to interpret the conscious world, but he did not believe them to be reality. The Surrealists had a completely different view; they saw dreams as a way to look deep into the human subconscious and reveal universal truths, and they thought the dream world should be placed on equal footing with one's waking life. They rejected the supremacy of logic, believing that strict rationality led the world down a dark path and caused many people to accept boring routine as the only possible reality.

As Surrealism became more popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the movement grew beyond the confines of Breton’s manifestoes. Salvador Dalí rejected the idea that Surrealism was by definition left-wing and anti-consumerist; he was an unashamed fan of luxury and insisted that Surrealism was apolitical. Many Surrealists thought Dalí was a secret supporter of the German nationalist movement, and in 1934 he was voted out of the Surrealist movement. This move was unsuccessful: By that time, he was more famous than almost any other Surrealist, and he continues to be identified as the primary face of Surrealism to the present day.

Although Surrealism began in France, the movement quickly spread throughout the world. It became popular throughout Europe in the interwar period. As the buildup to World War II intensified, many Surrealist artists feared for their safety and left for North America. During that period, Surrealism gained particular ground in Mexico. Mexican Indigenous art styles, combined with a strong left-wing community in the country, offered fertile ground for new Surrealist works. Such artists as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Lola Álvarez Bravo welcomed the European Surrealists into their fold, and the two movements nourished each other.

After World War II, Surrealism became less a defined movement and more a particular aesthetic. Art and writing described as Surrealist was produced throughout the rest of the 20th century and continues to be made today. However, Breton and the other early Surrealists would likely reject the identification of these works as Surrealist.