I would like to note down a few abstracts from this book in order to support my research made prior to my MA course's final outcome.
(all the pictures are selected by myself and reference other links and examples I find relevant to the research and the information from the book mentioned in this post)
The author mentions that the genre of "Surrealism" "was extending from 1885 to 1939" and was often called "Age of Surrealism".
On page 20 the author speaks about "Objective chance or 'coincidence'" that was something like a uniting point between the artists associated with DADA movement, which most of the people would connect to the earlier stage of what later merged into 'surrealism'.
Regarding my research and the films I will present as the final outcome, it is quite a relevant issue, not only because it is important to know the history of the genre, but also, in order to understand the influences and to see the general philosophy of Surrealist art.
"Poets have always lingered over accidents, chance occurrences, whims and hunches, moments that appear to break the pattern of events"- he says.
"Coincidences make these events random and deprive them of meaning, yet they become significant".
On page 21, Maurice Nadeau gives the definition of 'objective chance' (and ultimately, a key to his understanding of Surrealism itself), provided by Breton.
Breton:
"Objective chance is nothing else than the geometric locus of these coincidences." Maurice Nadeau would explain further that: "To create a life entirely made up of such startling coincidences would be to attain surreality"
The author would explain(page 21) that some people would practice the approach in the real life, not just theory: "Soupault was attempting in his behaviour during the early days: to induce coincidences. He asked people at random in the street where Soupault lived, proposed that everybody switch drinks in the cafes he entered, opened his umbrella on sunny days, and offered to escort the first attractive woman that came along."
Breton used to say that there's a "Mental Vantage Point" (point de i'esprit): "Point, from which life and death, the real and the imaginary, past and future, communicable and incommunicable, high and low, will no longer be perceived as contradictories". (page 22)
The surrealists, author notes, "did set out in search of both revolution and dream, social action and the unconscious".
"..random assemblages, simulation of paranoid states, dream journals, party games"
The description of activities and surrealists' likes would help to explain how my work is stylistically is perfectly relying on the ideology and methodology of surrealist traditions.
"Most of the early surrealist works would rely on shock of surprise"
Among the favourite surrealist's stimulators, as the author would mention, were such hobbies as:
"Love of ghosts, witchcraft, occultism, magic, vice, dreams, madness, passions"
It is important to know that "Surrealism, especially, is deeply embedded in the period between two world wars" (page 43)
"Between 1918 and 1940, surrealism was the contemporary of social, political, scientific, and philosophic events of major importance. Some marked it deeply; to others it gave its own colour. Created in Paris by dozen man, it did not remain confined to France but enlarged its scope to the ends of the earth."
"It was preceded by cubism, futurism, Dada."
"The leaders of surrealism- Aragon, Breton, Eluard, Peret"
As it has been mentioned, some say that surrealist's beginning is behind Dada movement, the time of the movement is described in the book on page 63 as: " a constant provocation of a public greedy for modern art and new aesthetic emotions, a public that came to see Dada because that was where it expected to find them".
BUT some of surrealists would argue that saying "IN MATTERS OF REVOLT, none of us should need ancestors" -Breton (page 69)
Some other interests / background inspirations would be genre of romanticism or roman noir, however, not directly linked to surrealism, but is considered of a general appeal.
2 Breton and Tzara saw it coming
3 New ways of thinking appear in the world and all kinds of spheres: Einstein, Heisenberg, Freud, Broglie
4 Breton starts thinking about subconscious and is interested in Freud. He mentions that once he had weird dream experience, or even right before falling asleep, as he heard someone saying "there is a man cit in two by the window", so he takes it as an interesting trick performed by his own subconscious mind.
5 1924 is the year of the official Surrealism genre foundation
According to Breton, they believed in "omnipotence of thought", "their idealism was pure but inoperative" (page 97)
"Surrealism is not written or painted, it is lived."
They were looking to unveil "the emotions that had not yet been spoiled by culture", and on page 98 author mentioned the example when surrealists haunted brothels treasuring the uncorrupted nature of the whores.
"THEY SOUGHT CRETINIZATION FOR ITS OWN SAKE"
a scene from Benuel&Dali's "Un Chien de Andolou"(1929)
In the later history of surrealism, it got clear that surrealism at some point was mainly used to communicate politics or subconscious.
And on page 183 author mentions a phenomena of "Dali and Paranoia criticism".
And paranoia, which is often, and even most of the time is a central way or an opportunity to articulate surrealist ideas, is described as "a delirious interpretation of the world, ego, which is given an exaggerated importance."
However, "Delirium is a perfect and coherent systematisation, the accession of a state of omnipotence which often leads the sufferer, moreover, to megalomania or persecution mania.
It naturally assumes a number of forms, and is accompanied by hallucinations, delirious interpretations of real phenomena"(page 184)
Also, author points out symbolism would play a huge role, in surrealist art, for example, he'd say Dali is a great example (page 188)
Book details: Plantin Paperbacks, 1987
(all the pictures are selected by myself and reference other links and examples I find relevant to the research and the information from the book mentioned in this post)
The author mentions that the genre of "Surrealism" "was extending from 1885 to 1939" and was often called "Age of Surrealism".
On page 20 the author speaks about "Objective chance or 'coincidence'" that was something like a uniting point between the artists associated with DADA movement, which most of the people would connect to the earlier stage of what later merged into 'surrealism'.
Regarding my research and the films I will present as the final outcome, it is quite a relevant issue, not only because it is important to know the history of the genre, but also, in order to understand the influences and to see the general philosophy of Surrealist art.
"Poets have always lingered over accidents, chance occurrences, whims and hunches, moments that appear to break the pattern of events"- he says.
"Coincidences make these events random and deprive them of meaning, yet they become significant".
On page 21, Maurice Nadeau gives the definition of 'objective chance' (and ultimately, a key to his understanding of Surrealism itself), provided by Breton.
Breton:
"Objective chance is nothing else than the geometric locus of these coincidences." Maurice Nadeau would explain further that: "To create a life entirely made up of such startling coincidences would be to attain surreality"
The author would explain(page 21) that some people would practice the approach in the real life, not just theory: "Soupault was attempting in his behaviour during the early days: to induce coincidences. He asked people at random in the street where Soupault lived, proposed that everybody switch drinks in the cafes he entered, opened his umbrella on sunny days, and offered to escort the first attractive woman that came along."
Breton used to say that there's a "Mental Vantage Point" (point de i'esprit): "Point, from which life and death, the real and the imaginary, past and future, communicable and incommunicable, high and low, will no longer be perceived as contradictories". (page 22)
The surrealists, author notes, "did set out in search of both revolution and dream, social action and the unconscious".
Dali- Hallucinogenic Bullfighter
"..random assemblages, simulation of paranoid states, dream journals, party games"
The description of activities and surrealists' likes would help to explain how my work is stylistically is perfectly relying on the ideology and methodology of surrealist traditions.
"Most of the early surrealist works would rely on shock of surprise"
Among the favourite surrealist's stimulators, as the author would mention, were such hobbies as:
"Love of ghosts, witchcraft, occultism, magic, vice, dreams, madness, passions"
scene from Hans Richter – Vormittagsspuk, 1928
It is important to know that "Surrealism, especially, is deeply embedded in the period between two world wars" (page 43)
"Between 1918 and 1940, surrealism was the contemporary of social, political, scientific, and philosophic events of major importance. Some marked it deeply; to others it gave its own colour. Created in Paris by dozen man, it did not remain confined to France but enlarged its scope to the ends of the earth."
"It was preceded by cubism, futurism, Dada."
"The leaders of surrealism- Aragon, Breton, Eluard, Peret"
As it has been mentioned, some say that surrealist's beginning is behind Dada movement, the time of the movement is described in the book on page 63 as: " a constant provocation of a public greedy for modern art and new aesthetic emotions, a public that came to see Dada because that was where it expected to find them".
BUT some of surrealists would argue that saying "IN MATTERS OF REVOLT, none of us should need ancestors" -Breton (page 69)
a scene from Benuel&Dali's "Un Chien de Andolou"(1929)
Some other interests / background inspirations would be genre of romanticism or roman noir, however, not directly linked to surrealism, but is considered of a general appeal.
IMPORTANT EVENTS | 1923-1925 |
1 Breton, Aragon, Eluard, Peret break with dadaism (1922) due to a failed congress2 Breton and Tzara saw it coming
3 New ways of thinking appear in the world and all kinds of spheres: Einstein, Heisenberg, Freud, Broglie
4 Breton starts thinking about subconscious and is interested in Freud. He mentions that once he had weird dream experience, or even right before falling asleep, as he heard someone saying "there is a man cit in two by the window", so he takes it as an interesting trick performed by his own subconscious mind.
5 1924 is the year of the official Surrealism genre foundation
According to Breton, they believed in "omnipotence of thought", "their idealism was pure but inoperative" (page 97)
"Surrealism is not written or painted, it is lived."
They were looking to unveil "the emotions that had not yet been spoiled by culture", and on page 98 author mentioned the example when surrealists haunted brothels treasuring the uncorrupted nature of the whores.
"THEY SOUGHT CRETINIZATION FOR ITS OWN SAKE"
On page 103, there is a list of vital points to the genre, given in the official paper called "Declaration du 27 janvier 1925", I will outline some of the most relevant ones below:
-Surrealism is not a new mean of expression, it is a mean of total liberation of mind
-Surrealism is determined to create a Revolution
-"We are specialists in Revolt. There is no means of action we are not capable of using if the need arises"
Maurice Nadeau specifies that the theme of LOVE is also one of the favourite ones throughout the works of surrealists: "Love to the same degree as revolution was one of the fundamental inspirations for surrealists" (page 145), and then he connects other disciplines, such as psycho-analysis which made 'love' and related, libido issues, "the essential motive-force of behaviour"
a scene from Benuel&Dali's "Un Chien de Andolou"(1929)
In the later history of surrealism, it got clear that surrealism at some point was mainly used to communicate politics or subconscious.
And on page 183 author mentions a phenomena of "Dali and Paranoia criticism".
And paranoia, which is often, and even most of the time is a central way or an opportunity to articulate surrealist ideas, is described as "a delirious interpretation of the world, ego, which is given an exaggerated importance."
However, "Delirium is a perfect and coherent systematisation, the accession of a state of omnipotence which often leads the sufferer, moreover, to megalomania or persecution mania.
It naturally assumes a number of forms, and is accompanied by hallucinations, delirious interpretations of real phenomena"(page 184)
Also, author points out symbolism would play a huge role, in surrealist art, for example, he'd say Dali is a great example (page 188)
Book details: Plantin Paperbacks, 1987
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