Surrealist More Art
In the wake of World War I’s ravaging of Europe, artists delved into the unconscious mind to confront and grapple with this reality. Poet and critic André Breton, a leader of the Surrealist movement who authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, called this approach “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences.
Although Surrealism was a groundbreaking approach for European art, its practitioners were inspired by Indigenous art and ancient mysticism for reenvisioning how sculptures, paintings, prints, performance art and more could respond to the unsettled world around them.
Surrealist artists were also informed by the Dada movement, which originated in 1916 Zurich and embraced absurdity over the logic that had propelled modernity into violence. Some of the Surrealists had witnessed this firsthand, such as Max Ernst, who served in the trenches during World War I, and Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly paintings and other work responded to the dawning civil war in Spain.
Other key artists associated with the revolutionary art and literary movement included Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim, all of whom had a distinct perspective on reimagining reality and freeing the unconscious mind from the conventions and restrictions of rational thought. Pablo Picasso showed some of his works in “La Peinture Surréaliste” — the first collective exhibition of Surrealist painting — which opened at Paris’s Galerie Pierre in November of 1925. (Although Magritte is best known as one of the visual Surrealist movement’s most talented practitioners, his famous 1943 painting, The Fifth Season, can be interpreted as a formal break from Surrealism.)
The outbreak of World War II led many in the movement to flee Europe for the Americas, further spreading Surrealism abroad. Generations of modern and contemporary artists were subsequently influenced by the richly symbolic and unearthly imagery of Surrealism, from Joseph Cornell to Arshile Gorky.
Find a collection of original Surrealist paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.
1950s Surrealist More Art
Clay
Artist Comments
A surreal pinball game unfolds as oversized marbles cascade on a fire escape outside an inner city dwelling. The complimentary colors between the building and...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
A tortoise hangs suspended by a hook, with daisies resting gently on its shell. The composition blends realism and surrealism, inviting reflection on captivit...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Surrealist More Art
Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Paper, Screen
Artist Comments
A colorful little bird watches over her nest perched on a ledge. The white porcelain trays represent cliffs that are fixtures on any nesting island. The asymm...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Watercolor
1960s Surrealist More Art
Watercolor, Etching
Artist Comments
An ostrich glides forward on colorful roller skates, balancing a gramophone, books, and an apple on its back. Headphones rest over its ears, and a carrot dang...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
Artist Comments
The bison and the beetle have a prehistoric elegance about them that I thought would compliment each other perfectly. Symbolically, both represent life and mortality, which has been on my mind lately. To Native Americans, bison are symbolic of sacred life and abundance. And in ancient greek mythology the beetle became revered as a symbol of rebirth and immortality -- its daily journey across the sky became an allegory of human life. The Wallpaper collection is a juxtaposition of masculine meets feminine. I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature paintings, where the wild and somewhat prehistoric aspects of my animals featured contrast against their delicate backdrops. In addition to this, many of my paintings are created with a little bit of underlying symbolism usually sparked from a world event or life moment that I am experiencing. I concentrate on this theme as a therapeutic mantra throughout the creation of the painting. For each painting, different techniques and layers of design are implemented when creating the wall paper effect. To keep the patterns consistent I create a stencil to outline the shapes of my hummingbirds, bugs and fish, and then I hand paint each shape individually. In the areas where I wanted a little more chaos, I would forgo the stencil and eyeball each design. My animals are always painted first, and then I layout the design around them.
About the Artist
Australian-born Alana Clumeck...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic
1970s Surrealist More Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
Artist Guigen Zha paints red lotus flowers under the shining sun. Square blocks of gradient color fill the fragmented scene. He pain...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1990s Surrealist More Art
Copper
Artist Comments
Inspired by the classical painting, The Birth of Venus, artist Miranda Gamel shows a surrealist portrayal. The subject stands beautifully with long wavy hair and glistening eyes under a turquoise moon...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
Artist Comments
A white chicken with a quirky stack of objects on its head balances on a unicycle. The pile includes a coffee cup, a potted plant, an egg, a toy truck, books,...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
Artist Comments
Around noon on a Friday, a tiny rider in a pink tutu balances atop a green dinosaur adorned with a yellow daisy. They navigate the ta...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1910s Surrealist More Art
Paper
1970s Surrealist More Art
Etching, Aquatint
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
Artist Comments
Two cups mirror each other, both overflowing with energetic, radiating light. Horses and bison frame the composition. The artwork is part of artist Rachel Srinivasan's tarot series. It represents relationships and love. Water, waves, vessel, and the color blue are all symbolic in the cosmology of tarot.
About the Artist
For Rachel Srinivasan, an idea is worth putting on a canvas only if it still feels exciting after a few days. Rachel enjoys mulling the idea over in her mind for some time before creating an artwork. She hopes viewers will engage with her work and wonder about the subject matter, shapes and colors. "My current work is all about creating a connection between the person on the canvas with the viewer," she explains. She prefers large paintings and sometimes even makes her own canvases. She currently lives in Arizona and enjoys baking rhubarb pies, reading, running and going to art museums.
Words that describe this painting: water, ace, tarot, magic, water, happiness, horse, series, music, sorcery, mysticism, spirituality, bison, fantasy, animals...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Three interconnected cups represent the beginning of friendship, meaningful social events, and a renewal of communication. Energetic wavy lines and a glowing li...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Five cups sit at the center of the painting, with the larger one in the middle and four smaller ones around it. Glowing beams and wavy lines radiate from them, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
1970s Surrealist More Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1940s Surrealist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
1930s Surrealist More Art
Photogravure
Artist Comments
A landscape watercolor painted in the realist tradition blends humor with commentary on modern life. The scene reflects on the cost of living and the conditio...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Artist Keith Thomson painted the Flatiron District on Manhattan's West 23rd Street en plein air. One of the most delightful aspect...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1970s Surrealist More Art
Woodcut
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
2010s Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A mesmerizing underwater scene comes to life where an enchanting mix of sea creatures, humans, and scuba bunnies coexist in perfect harmony. The submerged wor...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
"A panther in space, now that's out of this world," says artist Miranda Gamel. She depicts a surrealist image of the ebony fe...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1970s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor
1970s Surrealist More Art
Woodcut
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
Artist Comments
Artist Rachel Srinivasan reinterprets the pentacles suit adorned with galloping horses on the edges. Two white bison heads appear in the middle, their gentle ...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Surrealist More Art
Paper
1960s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1960s Surrealist More Art
Woodcut
2010s Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
