Surrealism

Listen to some first impressions of the painting The Persistence of Memory, 1931 by Salvador Dali (move your cursor over the bottom of the image and press play). What do you think?

How about these paintings by Rene Magritte?




Time Transfixed, 1938



Personal Values, 1958

Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte were part of the Surrealist movement in the early part of the twentieth century (1930s-1950s). The objects in their paintings are distorted and combined in unusual ways as if they are part of a dream world. Surreal means "beyond reality" or "resembling a dream". They were heavily influenced by Sigmund's Freud's ideas about the subconscious and the importance of dreams.

Share your thoughts about these paintings in the comments section.