The writer André Breton (1896-1966), nicknamed "the Pope of Surrealism", was the movement's founder and chief theorist. He introduced and defined the new style in his initial 1924 manifesto (Manifeste du Surrealisme) and later in his painting bulletin (Surrealisme et la Peinture). An ex-Dadaist, Breton deplored the nihilistic and destructive character of Dada, nevertheless he built on many Dada ideas to create a movement with a coherent though doctrinaire philosophy, from which he tolerated no deviation, expelling rebellious members as he saw fit. Breton's overall aim was in fact highly revolutionery. He aimed at nothing less than a total transformation of the way people thought. By breaking down the barriers between their inner and outer worlds, and changing the way they perceived reality, he intended to liberate the unconscious, reconcile it with the conscious, and free mankind from the bourgeois shackles of logic and reason which thus far had led only to war and domination.
Several leading Paris surrealists were former Dadaists, such as Max Ernst (1891-1976), Man Ray (1890–1976), and Jean Arp (1887-1966), but the movement fostered its own famous painters, like Joan Miro (1893-1983), Rene Magritte (1898-1967)** andSalvador Dali (1904-89). Other important figures included Antonin Artaud (1896-1948), Paul Delvaux (1897-1994)**, Andre Masson (1896-1987), Yves Tanguy (1900-55), Pierre Roy (1880-1950), and Maurits Escher (1898-1972),** as well as Tristan Tzara (1896-1963), the film-maker Luis Bunuel (1900-83), Alberto Giacometti (1901-66), Roberto Matta Echaurren [Robert Matta] (1911-2002) and Hans Bellmer (1902-75).
Other artists were claimed for Surrealism whether they liked it or not, such as Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)**, Marc Chagall (1887-1985)** and Paul Klee (1879-1940)**. Leading American surrealists included: Frederick Kiesler (1896-1965), Enrico Donati (1909-2006), Arshile Gorky (1905-48) and Joseph Cornell (1903-73).
Despite the deprecation of women implicit in numerous surrealist works, there were several important female surrealist artists, notably Valentine Hugo (1887-1968), Eileen Agar (1899-1991), Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Leonor Fini (1908-96), Jacqueline Breton (1910-2003), Dorothea Tanning (b.1910), Louise Bourgeois (b.1911) and Meret Oppenheim (1913-85) and Lenora Carrington (b.1917).
The most memorable pictures were produced by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, who between them did much to establish the visual style of Surrealism between 1930 and 1935, a style which aimed to explore psychological truth by detaching ordinary objects from their normal context in order to create a compelling image. Dali's melting watches (eg. in "The Persistence of Memory"), along with Yves Tanguy's molten forms and liquid shapes (eg. in "Promontory Palace"), became recognizable trademarks of the new style. Although its philosophical and cerebral aspirations may not have been grasped, its pictorial images captured the public imagination, and its strange juxtapositions, and dream imagery found its way into everything from fine art, photography and film, to high fashion design, to advertising, and applied art (eg. Dali's lobster telephone and Mae West lips sofa; and Méret Oppenheim's fur-covered tea cup). The same desire for glamour and escapism during the 1930s that led to the popularity of Art Deco also drew the public to Surrealism.
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-…
some famous surrealism artist are:
Salvador Dali
Joan Miro
Francis Picabia
Yves Tanguy
http://www.linkism.com/visual_artists/fa…
Chronological Listing of Surrealists:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/sur…
The Origins of surrealism:
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthist…
Loving greetings.
