TRANDS & MOVEMENTS

Trends and Movements

Hello everyone, this blog is responding to a thinking activity task assigned by Megha ma’am. Which is based on trends and movements in literature.

Surrealism

#Origins & Evolution:-

Surrealism originated as a departure from the previous Dada movement—a protest against the rationalism many felt had contributed to the carnage of World War I. Following the war, Parisian artists and writers (later internationally) endeavored to engage the unconscious as a source of creativity. This development was characterized by a move away from Dada's anti-art and nihilistic feelings to an embracing of the "pure psychic automatism" which sought to express thought processes immediately, unencumbered by conscious control.

#What is Surrealism?

Surrealism is a cultural and creative movement that mixes aspects of the subconscious, dreams, and the irrational to create a new world that differs from the reality we experience.

It was an art and cultural movement dedicated to expressing the unconscious mind. André Breton, the movement’s chief theorist, described it as “pure psychic automatism, by which one intends to express the real functioning of thought” without the constraints of reason, aesthetics, or morality. In essence, it is about uniting dreams and reality into an “absolute reality” or “surreality”.

#Historical Context

Post-War Disillusionment:- It occurred in the 1920s when World War I left its mark in the form of disillusionment and the ravaging of conventional rational society, urging artists to retreat inward to gain inspiration.

Influence of Psychoanalysis:- Sigmund Freud's revolutionary ideas about dreams and the unconscious profoundly affected Surrealists, who viewed dreams as a gateway to concealed realities.

Political and Cultural Revolt:- In addition to the artistic breakthroughs, Surrealism was a political and social uprising—a way of defying norms and imagining a fundamentally transformed society.

#Major Artist

1)André Breton: The chief theoretician and the writer of the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto.

2)Salvador Dalí: Famous for his highly realistic, surreal paintings like The Persistence of Memory, with famous melting clocks.

3)René Magritte: Renowned for his clever and provocative photographs such as The Treachery of Images, which challenge the connection between objects and their depictions.

4)Joan Miró & Max Ernst: Artists who employed automatism and other new methods to represent the workings of the mind.

#Key Points

1)Unconscious Expression:- The key principle is to circumvent rational thinking in order to tap into deeper, unconscious imagery.

2)Dream Imagery and Juxtaposition:- Painters construct illogical, surreal scenes by juxtaposing unexpected objects together—resembling the logic of dreams.

3)Innovative Techniques:- Techniques like automatism (spontaneous work), collage, frottage, and grattage were invented to capture the ephemeral, raw images of the unconscious.

4)Rejection of Conventional Norms:- Surrealists sought to subvert entrenched cultural, moral, and artistic norms to make way for a revolutionary redefinition of reality.

part of studding surrealism this we done an activities,

Modernism

Modernism is a sweeping cultural and artistic movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in reaction to the rapid industrialization, urbanization, and the deep social changes of the modern period. It is an intentional departure from conventional forms and practices in art, literature, and architecture. Modernist painters and writers attempted to convey the intricacies of modern life, sometimes focusing on innovation, abstraction, and experimentation. They adopted fresh methods—whatever in stream-of-consciousness technique, abstract design, or splintered shapes—to convey disorientation, estrangement, and change in the face of rapidly evolving society. At the core of Modernism is the promise of progress via artistic rebirth, even if it recognized uncertainties of modern living.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism emerged in the latter half of the 20th century as a response to the presumptions and perceived certainties of Modernism. It contests the idea of universal truths and master narratives, opting instead for skepticism, irony, and deconstruction of traditional norms. Postmodernist literature and art are marked by eclecticism, pastiche, and playful synthesis of styles, where high and low culture distinctions are dissolved. Instead of trying to find a single, unified image of reality, postmodernism prefers fragmentation, multiplicity, and relativistic thinking in terms of truth. It tends to challenge the concept of originality by reusing and reinterpreting available cultural forms, in a world where meaning is in flux and dependent on context.

References:

“Surrealism.” Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/s/surrealism . Accessed 26 February 2025.

“Surrealism | Definition, Painting, Artists, Artworks, & Facts.” Britannica, 10 February 2025, https://www.britannica.com/art/Surrealism . Accessed 26 February 2025.

“What is Surrealism Art? Definition, Artists, & Examples.” Sparks Gallery, https://sparksgallery.com/learn/what-is-surrealism-art-definition-artists-examples . Accessed 26 February 2025.