Surrealism +

Epressionism

Guillaume apponiare
Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the early 20th century, as well as
one of the most impassioned defenders of Cubism and a forefather of Surrealism. He is
credited for coining the term Cubism (1911) to describe the works of Pablo Picasso and
Georges Braque, the terms "Orphism" (1912) to describe the works of Frantisek Kupka,
and the term "Surrealism" (1917) to describe the works of Eric Satie. He wrote one of
the earliest works described as Surrealist, the play The Breasts of Tiresias (1917),
which was used as the basis for the 1947 opera Les mamelles de Tirsias.
The term Surrealism was first used by Apollinaire concerning the ballet Parade in 1917.
The poet Arthur Rimbaud wanted to be a visionary, to perceive the hidden side of
things within the realm of another reality. In continuity with Rimbaud, Apollinaire went
in search of a hidden and mysterious reality. The term "surrealism" appeared for the
first time in March 1917 (Chronologie de Dada et du surralisme, 1917) in a letter by
Apollinaire to Paul Derme: "All things considered, I think in fact it is better to adopt
surrealism than supernaturalism, which I first used" [Tout bien examin, je crois en
effet qu'il vaut mieux adopter surralisme que surnaturalisme que j'avais d'abord
employ].[14]

 Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best
known for its visual artworks and writings. The aim was to "resolve the
previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Artists painted
unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange
creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that
allowed the unconscious to express itself.[1]
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and
non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as
an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works
being an artifact. Leader Andr Breton was explicit in his assertion that
Surrealism was, above all, a revolutionary movement.
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities during World War I and the most
important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s onward, the
movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts,
literature, film, and music of many countries and languages, as well as political
thought and practice, philosophy, and social theory

ARTAUD
Antonin Artaud was a member of the surrealist movement in Paris in the 1920s, and was well known as
an actor, playwright, and essayist of avant-garde theatre.[1] Much of the avant-garde theatre developed
in France from 1914-1939, can be seen as a revolt against tradition. Deeply affected by the events of
World War I, the artists of the movement felt increasing skepticism of the existing societal structures
that had allowed for global warfare.[2]
While Artaud would eventually break away from surrealism, the movement helped to shape his later
theories on the Theatre of Cruelty. Led by Andre Breton, surrealist theatre reflected a belief that the
unconscious mind is a source of artistic truth. In his manifesto on surrealism, Breton writes, pure
psychic automatism, by which is intended to express, verbally, in writing, or by other means, the real
process of thought. Thoughts dictation, in absence of all control exercised by the reason and outside all
esthetic or moral preoccupation.[2]
In 1926, in association with surrealist playwright Roger Vitrac, Artaud founded the Theatre Alfred Jarry,
which only produced non-realistic drama. The theatre lasted only two years.[2] After his work in
surrealist theatre, Artaud would go on to develop his theories on the Theatre of Cruelty after he was
inspired by a Balinese dance troupe performance that he viewed at the Paris Colonial Exhibit in 1931.
The performance conventions of Balinese dance were different than any Artaud had previously
experienced, and he was struck by the intense physicality of the dancers.[3] Artaud would go on to
publish his major work on the Theatre of Cruelty, The Theatre and Its Double, seven years later in 1938.
[2]