In the early-mid twentieth century, artists were moving in a new direction with the rapid changes in the modern world. The war had an impact on artists and their way of thinking. Attitudes of disgust and outrage sought to challenge society. A desire for a new radical approaches to art and experience was already underway when in 1924, André Breton; a French writer and poet wrote the first Manifesto of Surrealism, defining it as “Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express... the actual functioning of thought... in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern” (MoMA). The Surrealists sought to displace the harsh standards of society by tampering with any logical thought. Highly influenced by Freud’s theories of the unconscious mind, the expression of the imagination and dreams were depicted in Surrealist art. Artists sought to free the conscious control and the perception of reality. The Surrealists were close-knit group of working artists although they had strong individual characteristics to their art. They all followed the same concept in which their art was to be created through the unconscious thought and any conscious thinking must be obliterated.
From January 25 through April 21, 2013, the Morgan Library housed one of the largest collections of Surrealist drawings consisting of over 160 works by 70 artists from 15 different countries. The time span is from 1915 to 1950. Several iconic artists such as Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and even Jackson Pollock were included in the exhibition. The show focuses on the exploration of drawing as the central role in Surrealism. Drawing was the most prominent medium chosen to present one of the most influential movement from the twentieth century. Drawing has always been second to painting and sculpture in the history of art. The Surrealists relied heavily on drawing for expression and innovation because it had intrinsic qualities of immediacy and spontaneity. Since Surrealism is art made through unconscious thought, a medium that does not require conscious control is valued. Drawing Surrealism portrays drawing in its most intimate setting, where one can wander through the exhibition and feel the same excitement and ‘newness’ of this compelling movement as it once had. In this small-gallery environment, the show is orderly displayed. Drawings are grouped by style and concept of creation. Automatism, frottage, the exquisite corpse games, collage, decalcomania, and dream imagery are the groups that make up this broad definition of drawing to the Surrealists.
Automatism, or automatic drawing is defined as Andé Breton claimed in his Surrealist Manifest that “Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express... the actual functioning of thought... in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.” One must let their hand meander to elude any conscious thought and tap directly into the unconscious mind. If the hand is fast enough, conscious thoughts cannot interrupt or take control. This was the closest to unveiling the unconscious as one can achieve. After the web of unconsciously driven lines has been applied, the artist would soon go back and add more. An interesting example of this process, André Masson’s ‘Battle of Fishes,’ 1926, uses an array of materials such as sand, gesso, oil, pencil and charcoal to allude to an ‘automatic painting.‘The application of materials was done in a free manner.
Frottage, the second category, consists of rubbing graphite on a sheet of paper which was placed over a textured surface. Max Ernst, Surrealist artist, claims that frottage is almost equivalent to automatic writing because it is an unconscious means by which the image becomes. Ernst was one of the few who relied heavily on the technique of frottage in his work, and it is done masterfully. ‘Le Start du Châtaigner,’ 1925 is an example of a Surrealist landscape created through frontage.
Directly after examples of frottage, one will move on to ‘The Exquisite Corpse’. The Exquisite Corpse is one of the most well-known games played by the Surrealists artists. It is a collaboration and the final work is created by chance. Each participant is given a folded section, one by one, and must create a figure driven by their unconscious mind. They will pass along the paper to the next and continue down the line of participants. The end results in a hybrid creature that often inspired many artists in their personal work. Victor Brauner is an artist whose work is influenced by the game of the Exquisite Corpse and on view is a drawing of one of these creatures in a dream-like space, “Le Déserteur.” This game was an activity which aloud artists to tap directly into the unconscious to do their part in the drawing.
Collage was another major way of art the Surrealist’s used to demonstrate the irrationality of unconscious desire. They would create odd juxtapositions of dream-like visions and distorted images. Collages were a form of expression and there are endless possibilities of creating. Every element included is chosen by the unconscious thought and assembled to create a Surrealist image. Decalcomania was yet another technique in which automatism neglected rational thinking by applying wet mediums such as watercolor or ink-wash, pressing to another piece of paper and pulled apart. Unexpected patterns and textures are created by chance. Artists who create work in this technique typically leave the works to be untitled, and praise their spontaneity of creation. The beautiful images are yet again left to the unconscious thought.
The most well-recognizable style of Surrealism is Dream Imagery. These drawings require the traditional techniques such as detail, tone, and value. Although they are detailed and realistic drawings, they may still be unknown to the human eye. They depict a dream-like fantasy world that only the unconscious can recognize. Salvador Dali may be the most well-known Surrealist artist who uses dream imagery to portray his unconscious.
Late Surrealism ends the show with a powerful note. Automatism is used yet again to create lyrical abstractions. Artists use freer techniques to create these works. Many of these works laid the groundworks for Abstract Expressionism, another one of the most prominent movements of the modern world. Ellsworth Kelly is included with drawings of abstract compositions that are based on chance, which is an expression of the unconscious. We are even introduced to an early work of Jackson Pollock, in which critic Sanford Schwartz claims “is the most dynamic and richly textured such tapping, or automatic drawing, in the show. It is a record of one disparate skirmish, as it were, after another that ends up having, remarkably, a breathing unity. It isn’t, in date, the last work in the exhibition, and it is not precisely a work of Surrealism, but it is a kind of fulfillment of an avenue of Surrealist thought” (Sanford). Although it could be argued by others, Pollack’s drawing just may be one of the most compelling works of the show as it shows an Abstract Expressionist who is highly influenced by the concerns of Surrealism.
As an avid museum-goer and artist, I am open to new ideas and forms of expression within art. To be honest; personally, I was never fond of Surrealism. I never had a reason to be critical, I just have never found interest in dream-like imagery. I’ve always believed that Surrealism was the depiction of strange and hybrid creatures floating in a dark and dream-like abyss; this made me look past the concept or thought process behind it all. If I wasn’t introduced to this collection of Surrealist drawings, I do not think I would have grown much appreciation for Surrealist art. It opened me up to find admiration within it, as well as an abiding desire to study it more. I believe the reason for this is the fact that the show was limited to drawings. I strongly feel that if the show was open to painting and sculpture, it would not have the same effect. It would not achieve the same excitement that resulted in this intimate setting. I was not overwhelmed by the amount of work portrayed, rather, I was at ease sauntering through the configuration. Having only focused on Surrealist drawings, we are given a new appreciation for drawing itself, as well as Surrealism as a movement. Critic Maika Pollack claims “But beyond its art-historical scope, the show will be of interest to those with a curiosity about the relationship between the thought and the mark. Flirting with dreams, language, politics, chance and sex, the Surrealist drawing is something you can do at home—it is, the show suggests, an attitude towards the unconscious mind, rather than a historically bound epoch” (Pollack). This; one can agree with because it opens us to the idea that the process of creation through the unconscious is what is endeavored and beautiful about the work of Surrealism.
Pollack, Maika. "Gallerist NY." GalleristNY Drawing Surrealism at the MorganLibrary Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://galleristny.com/2013/02/drawing-surrealism-at-the-morgan-library/>.
"MoMA Learning." MoMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/surrealism>.
Schwartz, Sanford. "The New York Review of Books." Surrealism Made Fresh by Sanford Schwartz. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/apr/04/surrealism-made-fresh/?pagination=false>.
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