Art
Tim Sussmann
Background
It is interesting to think that some things are inherent in all humanity. From the beginning of human existence (at least what we know of it), humans have been using their creativity to express themselves in various ways; music, drawing, dancing, and building all stand in this realm of human expression. Our question is whether expression has created change or change created a different style of expression. One style of creative expression that we think was a powerful catalyst for change is surrealism.
Surrealism is a style of expression that allows the artist to express thoughts without filtering them. Starting in the early 1920s Surrealism was promoted as a way to increase creativity, and open the mind up to thinking clearly. Many of the artists that partook in Surrealism thought that this was a revolutionary activity. They thought of this style of expression as a way to help people think for themselves and understand their connection to the unconscious. Much of Surrealism deals with the dream realm, artists tap into their dreams and use this awareness to develop the abstract thoughts that come out of them. Many thought of this type of expression as unnecessary and looked at it as a waste of time. However Andre Breton, one of the founders of this style of art, had a very necessary intention in his mind.
“surrealism aims to dissolve the boundary between art and life, but it also wants to preserve a space for poetic creation outside ideological commitment, and even outside everyday practice.” [1]
Turning Point
Surrealism created a turning point because it change the way humans think. By changing the way humanity thinks, you change the way they go about their daily life. Modernity seeks to find reason and knowledge in everything, although surrealisms goal was to break the modernistic norm that had been placed on humanity, it ended up falling right into the same mindset. Surrealism seemed to fail in much of humanities eyes in its pursuit to change the way we carry our daily life. It shows that modernities walls are a lot harder to break down than one may think.
Effect
Modernity, or the pursuit of knowledge and reason, is viewed by many as a difficult obstacle to overcome.
This quote by Hegel states that we are surrounded by modernity, and art is a place to escape that.
“the prose of the world or the prose of life is ‘the prose of finitude and commonplace thinking’, which art and the beautiful transcend in order to reach an intermediary realm between the ‘sensuous sphere’ and ‘the higher spheres of religion and philosophy’”[2]
This view of modernity forces people to try to find ways to break through a mindset that is intertwined with thought throughout the world. Surrealism, however is another form of modernity, it seeks to change the way humans think in order to bring about a different way of living. Therefore, surrealism is not specifically a drastic turning point in human history, rather a learning point to go off of for future generations.
[1] Andre Breton The Surrealism of the Habitual: FromPoetic Language to the Prose of Life ALISON JAMES
[2] Darren Jorgensen “Dreams and Magic in Surrealism and Aboriginal Australian Art”
Tim Sussmann
Background
It is interesting to think that some things are inherent in all humanity. From the beginning of human existence (at least what we know of it), humans have been using their creativity to express themselves in various ways; music, drawing, dancing, and building all stand in this realm of human expression. Our question is whether expression has created change or change created a different style of expression. One style of creative expression that we think was a powerful catalyst for change is surrealism.
Surrealism is a style of expression that allows the artist to express thoughts without filtering them. Starting in the early 1920s Surrealism was promoted as a way to increase creativity, and open the mind up to thinking clearly. Many of the artists that partook in Surrealism thought that this was a revolutionary activity. They thought of this style of expression as a way to help people think for themselves and understand their connection to the unconscious. Much of Surrealism deals with the dream realm, artists tap into their dreams and use this awareness to develop the abstract thoughts that come out of them. Many thought of this type of expression as unnecessary and looked at it as a waste of time. However Andre Breton, one of the founders of this style of art, had a very necessary intention in his mind.
“surrealism aims to dissolve the boundary between art and life, but it also wants to preserve a space for poetic creation outside ideological commitment, and even outside everyday practice.” [1]
Turning Point
Surrealism created a turning point because it change the way humans think. By changing the way humanity thinks, you change the way they go about their daily life. Modernity seeks to find reason and knowledge in everything, although surrealisms goal was to break the modernistic norm that had been placed on humanity, it ended up falling right into the same mindset. Surrealism seemed to fail in much of humanities eyes in its pursuit to change the way we carry our daily life. It shows that modernities walls are a lot harder to break down than one may think.
Effect
Modernity, or the pursuit of knowledge and reason, is viewed by many as a difficult obstacle to overcome.
This quote by Hegel states that we are surrounded by modernity, and art is a place to escape that.
“the prose of the world or the prose of life is ‘the prose of finitude and commonplace thinking’, which art and the beautiful transcend in order to reach an intermediary realm between the ‘sensuous sphere’ and ‘the higher spheres of religion and philosophy’”[2]
This view of modernity forces people to try to find ways to break through a mindset that is intertwined with thought throughout the world. Surrealism, however is another form of modernity, it seeks to change the way humans think in order to bring about a different way of living. Therefore, surrealism is not specifically a drastic turning point in human history, rather a learning point to go off of for future generations.
[1] Andre Breton The Surrealism of the Habitual: FromPoetic Language to the Prose of Life ALISON JAMES
[2] Darren Jorgensen “Dreams and Magic in Surrealism and Aboriginal Australian Art”