Breakthrough Surrealism Manifesto Energize New Art Movement
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond – feelings and desires captured through spontaneous actions
Minotaure No. 7
Surrealism 20th century avant-garde art
Surrealism. For those uninitiated to this twentieth century avant-garde art movement, it is not easy to understand.
The King Playing with the Queen, Summer 1944, Max Ernst, Bronze, brown-green patina
Delving into the unconscious mind was a newly formed science and therapy founded by neurologist Sigmund Freud in the 1890s.
He was the founder of psychoanalysis, a set of theories and therapies for studying and treating mental disorders.
Sigmund Freud
Studying the workings of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behaviour was Freud’s life work. He developed theories and methodologies that formed the foundation for clinical treatment of patients.
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His work and techniques have been hugely influential to all schools of the humanities, psychology, society and arts.
Punu Mask (Gabon)
To his contemporaries, such as Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who also became a pioneer in the field, Freud’s foray into the new science and the study of the unconscious mind provided the groundwork for further discovery in human psychology.
In ancient times, those with mental illness were treated with fear and aversion.
Surrealism and human psychology
Poorly understood or tolerated, people with mental disorders, particularly in the Middle Ages, were viewed as demonically possessed, crazy or driven by evil and supernatural spirits.
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They were often outcasts. What little treatments there were included torturous exorcisms, starvation or trepanation, whereby a hole is drilled into the human skull to release pressure or to release evil spirits from the body.
Carl Jung
From the nineteenth century, the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung brought innovative ways to treat and to address mental illness.
These developments lessened the stigma related to those who experienced symptoms of dysfunctional behaviour.
André Breton
For medical practitioners who treated mental illness and psychiatric disorders, the new science provided some innovative clues as to the causes as well as potential treatment for those afflicted with illness that seemed to originate in the mind.
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One of these was André Breton, a French writer and poet who had trained in mental illness at medical school.
The Labyrinth, Andre Masson, 1938, Oil on canvas
His medical education was curtailed by World War I, when he was conscripted and assigned to a military hospital in the neurological ward.
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It was during this time that Breton delved into the psychotherapeutic practices and theories of Sigmund Freud.
Potential of the unconscious mind
Breton became interested in the potential of the unconscious mind and was particularly fascinated with techniques that would stimulate the creative process, allowing these thoughts to come to the surface and be expressed through literature and visual art.
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In 1899, Freud introduced the theory of dream interpretation as a prelude to understanding the workings of the unconscious mind.
Baoule Ox-mask (Bonu Amwin, Baule, Republic of Ivory Coast), Early 20th century, Wood, Nail, natural pigments,
In his view, dreams are the expression of an individual’s wish fulfilled, as well as the distortion and repression of that wish by the constraints of societal norms.
He considered dreaming, like that of breathing, to be an involuntary action, an “automatism” that provided clues to the person’s psyche – and unspoken desires.
The Grand Transparent, 1946-1947, Jacque Herold, Bronze
The emphasis on dreams as the expression of the unconscious mind gave impetus to Freud’s therapy of allowing his patient to articulate imagery through processes of automatic speaking, writing and drawings without censorship or restraint.
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The ideas of automatism had an impact on a generation of artists living and working in Paris, who sought innovative ideas to stimulate and provoke a new path to creativity.
Surrealism Manifesto
Led by André Breton as well as Max Ernst, the concept of automatism, the free-flowing actions unrestricted by the conscious mind, was the manifesto sought by avant-garde artists repulsed by the limitations of an overtly oppressive society just recovering from a devastating world war and in the midst of fundamental existential questioning.
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In 1924, Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto. In this, he defined Surrealism as psychic automatism.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond
“…in its pure state, by which one proposes to express – verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner – the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”
He believed that dreams, repressed feelings, and desires could be captured in writing, painting and drawings through spontaneous actions, the unconscious mind being the source for creative expression.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond
The manifesto marked the emergence of the Surrealism art movement originating in Paris and then spreading to other parts of the world.
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It is no surprise therefore that some of the greatest works by Surrealist artists are in the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond
In Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond, masterpieces and archived material from Centre Pompidou have been brought to the city through a collaboration with the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
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Some of Surrealism’s most iconic works by equally renowned artists such as André Bret on, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dali, Francis Picabia, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Man Ray and Jackson Pollock are on show.
Metaphors for unconscious fears and desires
Freud considered dreams to be disguises and metaphors for unconscious fears, desires and conflict. Deeply associated with these are the discords related to sexuality and violence.
He postulated that these can be deciphered by substituting symbols for objects. The exhibition is grouped and sub-categorised through the theme of mythologies.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond
Many works feature the use of signs and symbols that greatly influenced the Surrealist movement.
Night-time images of Paris, by Brassaï, showing a city that is “midway between dream and reality” starts the showcase.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond
Accompanied by a vintage black and white film, the atmosphere of theatre and drama lures visitors into a fantastical environment.
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In the section titled Chimera, the offspring of Gaia, the Earth Goddess, is shown in Surrealist works as a monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a snake’s tail.
Chimera, 1928, Max Ernst, Oil on Canvas
This mythological creature was used as an emblem for Surrealism, as it was a highly imaginative and fantastical creature.
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The Minotaur, and its prominence as the logo of the Surrealist-orientated magazine is featured in the following section.
Minotaur No.1, 1937
Paintings, drawings and sculptures present various fanciful representations of this mythical monster with a bull’s head.
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In the section featuring the first genuinely created surrealist myth, Acephale, a headless figure is revealed.
Woman with Her Throat Cut, 1932/1940, Alberto Giacometti, Bronze, gold leaf
This concept was derived by artist George Bataille from his research of primitive societies and represented humanity fully freed from the tyranny of reason.
Mythologies: Surrealism and Beyond Exhibition
To provide a local perspective, young artists in Hong Kong contributed original works to the exhibition in a separate section. These artists presented their interpretation of Surrealism in contemporary times.
Text & photos Cammy Yiu
