Sigmund Freud and Andre Breton

Welcome bloggers, intellectuals, artists, and friends! My name is Max Aguero, and I am a senior at BASIS Scottsdale High School preparing to begin a major research project which will attempt to discover what effects Freudian theories of the unconscious mind had on Surrealist art.


To begin, the premise that Freud was in fact one of the biggest influences on Surrealist artists will be present throughout my research. Andre Breton, the founder of the movement and author of The Manifesto of Surrealism, was heavily influenced by Freud's thoughts, especially his interpretation of dreams. In his Manifesto, Breton explicitly mentions the famous psychoanalyst:

"We must give thanks to Freud for his discoveries. On the basis of his research, a current of opinion is at last flowing, by means of which the explorer of humanity will be able to push his investigations much further, authorized as he will be to take account of more than merely superficial realities."

It is obvious that the Surrealists adored Freud and took his psychoanalysis into the realm of art. I therefore postulate that Surrealist art was affected by Freud's theories in various different ways -- from its creation of dream-like paintings to its adoption of automatic writing used for poetry instead of psychoanalysis. By touring a series of different art museums in Washington DC for over a month, I intend to make a detailed analysis of the ways in which Freud influenced the Surrealist movement.

Andre Breton once said that beauty will be convulsive or will not be at all. Let us hope that this blog is the most seizure-inducing thing you will ever read.