This video features surrealist landscape drawings by Richard Grassi.

To see more of Grassi's art, visit Recommended Gallery.

How to Appreciate Surrealist Artwork

Surrealism is the name given to an artistic movement that began in the 1920s in the period between the two World Wars. Surrealist artwork, known primarily through its visual and written forms, grew out of the earlier Dada movement of Word War I and was a direct response to the violence, destruction, and deterioration of cultural norms witnessed during that conflict.

While beginning as a counter-cultural rebellion against the bourgeoisie values that were believed to have led to the war, surrealism has grown to be an accepted and oft-imitated art form frequently co-opted for commercial purposes in contemporary culture. Thus, while the outward appearances and general forms of surrealist artwork are easily recognizable in our present time, many individuals are not familiar with the underlying history and purpose of this form of art. This can, at times, be an impediment to truly appreciating surrealism as it was intended by its first authors. To do so, one needs first to understand the themes, purpose, and creators behind the original surrealist movement in greater depth.

Themes of Surrealism

Despite its various permutations, surrealist artwork tends to favor specific themes in order to manifest its message. First and foremost is its exultation of the imagination over human reason. Surrealism places the subconscious, the emotional and instinctual part of the human mind, over and above that of consciousness.

In surrealist philosophy, true art springs from the spontaneous and unfettered realm of imagination – that which lies outside of our conscious control and isn't bound by traditional artistic values. Another important theme is that of the rejection of what is considered acceptable and normal. Surrealist artwork frequently goes out its way to shock or, at the very least, to subvert usual artistic expectations and force the spectator to reassess their concept of what art really is.

Purpose of Surrealism

In order to appreciate surrealist artwork it is also necessary to understand that its creators had a specific purpose in mind while they were creating their art. Surrealism is above all else the art form of rebellion. Its goal is to invalidate everything that has come before it. On an artistic level this means disdaining all traditional art and intentionally subverting or ignoring what is considered “good” or “acceptable” artistic expression.

On a social level this means that surrealism openly mocks and defies our common cultural history, rejecting everything that has shared value or is the result of traditional Western civilization. This frequently takes the form of blasphemy against religion, mockery of government, and disgust with “normal” art.

Creators of Surrealism

The original creators of Surrealism saw themselves less as belonging to a new school of art and more as creating a movement with the dual aim of annihilating all the false art that had come before it and forging a new art that is true to the individual spirit.

Founders such as Andre Breton and Louis Aragon both had been involved in the earlier Dada movement which championed the absurd over reason, and both had their views on art radically influenced by the madness and unbelievable suffering they witnessed while serving in the First World War. Thus, the peculiar nature of surrealist artwork can only truly be understood in the context of the experiences of its founders, their ultimate aims, and the themes they used to reach such aims.

With the rise of the Internet, we are now able to instantly access many online galleries featuring surrealistic artwork. Of course, with so much artwork on display, it's easy to see that there is a wide range of quality. Some of it is quite good, but most is not… Occasionally however, we can find something that is really remarkable. (Hallelujah for the Internet!) Here’s one that interests us: Paintings, Drawings & Prints