In his "Surrealist Manifesto(s)," Andre Breton describes the power that the "unconscious"
mind can have over art -- the ability of the unconscious to allow the creation and
reception of extremely powerful art, an idea obviously and explicitly taken from
Freud's theories on psychology, dreams, and (un)consciousness. By studying Breton's
Manifestos and various Surrealist works and artists, from writers like Breton himself
to painters like Rene Magritte, I will ask, “What effect does this fascination with the
unconscious mind have on Surrealist art?” I postulate that the Freudian influences affect
Breton’s Manifestos, which define the Surrealist movement as seen in Salvador Dali and
Rene Magritte’s respective works.
Background:
Because of my passion for Surrealist art, I completed an essay just last month on
a similar topic, namely the relationship between Situationist/Letterist art (1950s
and 1960s) and the French insurrection of May 1968. I have also studied art
history independently, specifically in a philosophic sense. After all, most artistic
movements (besides today’s postmodernist nihilism) have had philosophic ideas
behind them. For example, the Surrealists claimed that art was not an end, but
a means to an end (ie, a political or cultural end). Today, artists have taken on a
much more nihilistic view, with their endless pastiches and their outcry of “art for
art’s sake!”
Furthermore, I have already read most of Breton's "Surrealist Manifesto" and have
also read some excerpts from Freud's On Dreams.
Prior Research:
"The Marvelous Mind of Surrealism" by Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette is a short essay
discussing Surrealism and its relation to dreams and automatic writing and how it was
influenced by Freud. The essay also shortly discusses the Surrealists' views on beauty.
Also, a book titled Andre Breton and the First Principles of Surrealism by Franklin
Rosemont goes into great detail about how the Surrealists' Freudian influences (that is,
their desire to merge the unconscious and the conscious minds) led to their subversive
beliefs (culturally, artistically, and politically).
Finally, "Surrealism, Freud, and Trotsky" is an essay that gives countless examples
of Surrealist paintings that were directly influenced by Freud's theories on sexuality.
Furthermore, the essay helps draw a connection between Surrealism and Leftism by
demonstrating how Trotsky appreciated both Freud's theories and the way that the
Surrealists used those theories in their respective art works.
Description:
A huge amount of library and internet research will definitely be necessary;
however, I hope to gain a large amount of information from various art museums
in Washington DC, whether that information is in the form of a painting or an
original transcript from a Surrealist artist. Also, the Library of Congress has an
extensive collection of works focusing on Andre Breton, which cannot necessarily
be found elsewhere. The techniques which I will use to analyze the various
paintings and artworks will be explained in the Methodology section.
I intend to complete a 5-10 page paper which answers this question.
Methodology:
This part of my proposal is incomplete, largely due to the fact that I am not sure if I will
intern at the National Gallery of Art.
However, I do know that I will visit both the NGA and the Library of Congress extensively, using one or both as the central locations of my research. Since this is not a project focused on a physical
science, I do not have a "procedure" laid out, but I do know that I will gather both
Surrealist and Freudian resources, observe various works in Washington DC art
museums, gain primary documents (with translations), and hopefully get into contact with
curators or guides at each museum.
As the necessary research material is gathered, I will begin creating my final work. In
the form of an essay, I will analyze each piece of information with my original question
always in mind: how exactly did Freud's theories influence Surrealist philosophies,
motivations, and stylistic tendencies?
Art Analysis Methodology: I will analyze each piece of art using the following steps.
Observation a. Observing the art literally, without making any value
judgments, analysis, or interpretation.
b. What am I directly seeing?
Analysis
a. Determining subject matter, finding the distinctive
features and the focal point of the work
b. Analyzing of the techniques used to create the work
c. Interpreting how the artist conveys the image or idea
spatially, temporally; what colors and shades are used,
etc
Interpretation
a. What is the main idea of the work? What ideas is the
artist trying to convey through the images?
b. Why did the artist create the work?
c. In what context did the artist create the work?
Judgment
a. Is this work successful in its goals? How original is the
piece?
b. Also, how should I judge the work? Under what criteria
should I determine the success or originality of each
These techniques of art analysis can be attributed to Terry Barrett and
his work Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary.
Problems:
The biggest problem would probably be transportation to and from the various
museums across Washington DC. Outside of that, if some paintings are “not
on view,” that would also be a problem. Hopefully I can get into contact with a
curator or guide who would allow me to see those paintings.
Bibliography:
Rene Magritte
The Human Condition at the National Gallery of Art
The Lovers at the Galerie Lareuse
The Murderous Sky at the National Gallery of Art
The Blank Signature – NGA
Bijoux Indiscrets – NGA
Landscape of Baucis – NGA
Andre Breton
"The Surrealist Manifesto"
"Always for the First Time"
Benjamin Peret
"The Staircase with a Hundred Steps"
"Little Song for the Maimed"
Salvador Dali
The Sacrament of the Last Supper at the National Gallery of Art
Horseman – NGA
Grasshopper Child – NGA
Le Chants De Maldoror – NGA
Lother Greene Calling Card – NGA
Saint George and the Dragon – NGA
The Salvador Dali Room at the Artists Inn Residence
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