Barbara Gawdzik

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.

The human body has long been a favorite subject for artists throughout history. Nude drawings and watercolor paintings reveal the human figure but also the social ideals, traditions and cultural beliefs around people and bodies at the time they were created.

Nude drawings and watercolors offer a unique way to illustrate the human body. Drawings in pencil or ink can quickly capture movement or poses while watercolor is more expressive of a moment. Different cultures utilize the same materials differently, and each piece provides a singular glimpse into the perspectives and expectations around people’s bodies.

Artists like Francisco Goya, Gustav Klimt and Lucian Freud — who painted his friends, his lovers and his children — found acclaim and success by creatively depicting the human body. More recently, as contemporary artists have followed the figurative muse, many painters are exploring the nude as a subject for their drawings and works in watercolors.

If you’re thinking about bringing this kind of work into your space, there are many ways to consider how to arrange wall art in your living room or elsewhere in your home. Creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design vision together. It allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of nude drawings and watercolor paintings for diverse views and attitudes toward the human form through a range of cultures and times.