“Surrealism: Originally a literary movement, officially inaugurated in 1924, it incorporated stylistic and theoretical aspects of Cubism and Dada. Seeking to reveal the reality behind appearances, especially in a psychological sense, surrealism drew heavily on Freudian theories about the unconscious, dreams, irrationality, sexuality, and fantasy. Hence, the use of dream imagery, automatism, and symbolism, Some major figures: Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst.”
Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.
