INTRO

to
SURREALISM
• Surrealism was a literary & artistic movement

• Flourished in Europe between WW1 & WW2

• Surrealists rejected rationalism and literary realism. Instead, they aspired

to channel the unconscious mind to unveil the power of the imagination

• Interested in expressing the subconscious mind by using fantastic imagery

and the incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter

The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dali

 Surrealism is a term that refers to a heightened sense of reality.
Translated from French, the term means “over-realism”-- a vision of
reality that moves beyond the mundane.

The False Mirror (1928) - Rene Magritte

 Surrealistic Techniques
Make the ordinary look extraordinary

• Scale
• Levitation
• Juxtaposition
• Dislocation
• Transparency
• Transformation
• Reflection
 SCALE
Changing an object’s scale,
or relative size.
 SCALE

The Listening Room (1952) - Rene Magritte

 SCALE

Jerry Uelsmann
 LEVITATION
Floating objects that don’t
normally float
 LEVITATION

Golconda (1953) - René Magritte

LEVITATION

Natsumi Hayashi
LEVITATION

Thomas Barbey
 JUXTAPOSITION
Joining two images together
in impossible combinations
 JUXTAPOSITION

Lobster Telephone (1936) – Salvador Dali

JUXTAPOSITION

Jerry Uelsmann
 JUXTAPOSITION

Cat and I Double Exposure (1925) – Wanda Wultz

JUXTAPOSITION

Thomas Barbey
 DISLOCATION
Taking an object form its usual
environment and placing it in an
unfamiliar one
 DISLOCATION

Sunrise by the Ocean - Vladimir Kush

 DISLOCATION

Object (1936) – Meret Oppenheim

DISLOCATION

Thomas Barbey
DISLOCATION

Thomas Barbey
 TRANSPARENCY
Making objects transparent
that are not usually transparent
 TRANSPARENCY

La Decalcomania (1966) - Rene Magritte

TRANSPARENCY

Jerry Uelsmann
TRANSFORMATION
Changing objects in an
unusual way
 TRANSFORMATION

Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937)– Salvador Dali

TRANSFORMATION

Erik Johansson
TRANSFORMATION

Jerry Uelsmann
TRANSFORMATION

Thomas Barbey
TRANSFORMATION

Jonna Pohjalainen
 REFLECTION
Using mirrors, windows,
water to create a reflection
 REFLECTION

Not to be Reproduced (1937) – Rene Magritte

REFLECTION

Jerry Uelsmann
REFLECTION

Laura Williams
 REFLECTION

Artist Unknown (found online)