Characteristics of Surrealism – the world of Dalí and Magritte

What does Surrealism mean in art

In the 1920s in Europe, particularly in Paris, the first signs of the Surrealist period began to emerge. Sigmund Freud, in particular, influenced ideas about the subconscious and dreams through psychoanalysis, thereby contributing to the emergence of Surrealism. This artistic movement seeks to express something that otherwise tends to take place in the subconscious. Surrealist artists blur the boundaries between rational thought and the subconscious. This is intended to reveal a kind of ‘deeper’ reality, giving rise to works of Surrealism. The artists associated with Surrealism are numerous and diverse. Below, we will introduce you to well-known figures of Surrealism and some SKM artists who work in this style.

Arguably the best-known painting in Surrealist art is ‘The Persistence of Memory’ (original title: La persistencia de la memoria) by Salvador Dalí. This painting was created in 1931 and remains one of the iconic works of the Surrealist era to this day.

The most striking surrealist features here are the melting clocks. They are soft, distorted and draped over various objects. The scene has a dreamlike quality; the landscape appears lifeless and almost empty. The melted clocks and other surrealist imagery have also influenced today’s pop culture today. You can now even buy your own “melted clock” for the living room.

Surrealist paintings

The first typical stylistic feature of Surrealist images is dreams and irrationality The work seems to have sprung from a dream; bewildering connections and strange forms and depictions fill the space. It brings to mind feverish dreams and absurd thoughts. This is not at all uncommon amongst the characteristics of Surrealism. The everyday is alienated, for example by being depicted as much larger or in a different form (such as melting clocks.) 

One can say goodbye to the proportions and perspectives we are otherwise familiar with. Some Surrealist artists use what is known as ‘automatism’. This is a technique designed to allow forms to emerge directly from the subconscious, without actively engaging the mind. It is all about spontaneity and openness to new ideas. Many Surrealist artists use double images and distortions to create optical illusions. At first glance, the subject appears tangible, but on closer inspection one notices an ambiguity or a different depth behind it. 

This symbolism is a characteristic feature of Surrealism. Death, life, sexuality, the subconscious – all of these can be symbols that appear in the Surrealist world. The works are often overloaded with symbols, which are frequently employed. Surrealist artists often make use of the alienation of the human body. The fusion, fragmentation or distortion of the body raises questions about one’s own existence. In some cases, bodies can merge with objects and be found within them.

With this in mind, you should be able to recognise Surrealist works.  Before we introduce you to the great artists of Surrealism, we’d like to familiarise you with our  SKM artists, whose Surrealist paintings you can find here.

Surrealism, photography and modern media

Another fascinating form of this artistic style, and also part of the definition of Surrealism, is Surrealist photography. Irrational, dreamlike and bizarre scenes are a key feature here.

There are several key characteristics of surrealist photography, including, amongst other things, the depiction of dreamlike scenes. The photographs often appear like visions from dreams. Many scenes depict combinations of objects or people that are highly unusual and which one would not expect to see in this way. 

The distortion of reality also plays a major role. In this context, art photography has the opportunity to use techniques that influence the image. These include photomontages, double exposures or unusual lenses and perspectives to distort the photograph. One often finds highly symbolic elements that may point to or hint at a deeper psychological or philosophical meaning. Objects or compositions that are highly unusual are also frequently depicted. 

The objects appear to stand out from the norm or to be completely alienated. Of course, light and shadow also play a very significant role. These can dramatically influence the mood and create various effects. These characteristics of Surrealism are typical of Surrealist photography. 

Surrealist artists in surrealist photography

Claude Cahun (1894–1954) was a photographer best known for her self-portraits. Her works explore identity, gender and gender roles. 

She was strongly inspired by the Surrealist movement and used various props to stage her self-portraits, such as masks, costumes, etc. One photographer from Germany was Grete Stern (1904–1999). She later lived in Argentina and became known for her surrealist photomontages. Her series “Sueños” (Dreams) was created in the 1940s and was inspired by dreams. To create this series, she collected women’s dreams and produced these surrealist images, which challenged society’s norms for women. 

Surrealist photography has influenced not only the art world, but also fashion and advertising photography. Many fashion magazines feature fashion spreads that are photographed in a highly experimental style and display the typical characteristics of Surrealism. This is not merely about the presentation of fashion, but also about artistic approaches and the expression of a certain emotionality. Digital techniques such as Photoshop and other programmes help female photographers today to realise their visions. Details can be rendered more precisely here, and ideas can be realised with greater accuracy.

Surrealist SKM artists

The person in Jana Mertens work seems to be sitting on a stretcher – so is she particularly small or is the frame particularly large? She tells us herself which surrealist features can still be discovered here. “The work ‘Morning Glory’ is a new piece in my ‘Strangers’ series, in which I bring together anonymous and unfamiliar figures within a familiar atmosphere {{ . With “Morning Glory”, I hope that the viewer feels connected to the work and is free to course. The colour combination is also significant. The light blue coat, combined with the pastel yellow stilettos, is intended to convey a calm atmosphere and depict a peaceful morning in the city centre. I often work in a surrealist style, inspired by Edward Hopper and René Magritte. I enjoy working with magazines to give viewers the opportunity to transport themselves to any era. The figure and their clothing are equally adaptable to different eras, so that it remains unclear whether the figure is living in 1960 or in 2024.”

With Linda Denkert we have a wonderful example of a surrealist photographer,  who incorporates the typical characteristics of Surrealism into her works. “In my work, I playfully translate the qualities of the functional into the emotional. I’m particularly interested in so-called ‘non-places’ and everyday situations – often inspired by found, absurd or symbolically charged objects. The everyday is elevated, personalised and celebrated – emotions are visualised. By deliberately and purposefully removing elements from their original context, new, immersive situations emerge in the form of collage-like installations, from which I in turn extract individual parts and focus on specific details.”

You can find surrealist ceramics and objects by the artist Lara Rocho. She lives in Berlin and works at the intersection of textile art, sculpture and material. In her work, she creates expansive textile installations and combines various materials using a process-oriented approach. The result is fragments with organic, eccentric forms – forms that contrast in terms of softness, transparency and hardness, or differ in their degree of hardness. Ultimately, this gives rise to textile tableaux that play on the tactile quality of structure and materiality through their texture and rigidity. Her work always aims to inspire a new perspective on textiles and space. The artist explores complex narratives ranging from love and relationships to the subconscious, drawing inspiration from mythological motifs that help to process inner conflicts.

Max Ernst: Surrealism and Dada

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a German painter, graphic artist, sculptor and poet, regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. He was a co-founder of the Dada movement and later became a great advocate of Surrealism. 

His works are among the best-known in Surrealism and are famous for their innovative technique and exploration of imaginative visual worlds, as well as dreams and myths. Typical characteristics of Surrealism feature in all of the artist’s works. Max Ernst initially studied philosophy and psychology in Bonn before turning his attention entirely to art. During the First World War, Max Ernst joined the Dada movement. This movement emerged as a reaction to the war and focused on ironic and provocative content. Traditional art forms were called into question. In the 1920s, Surrealism was just beginning to flourish in Paris. Max Ernst, too, was drawn to this fascinating city, where he met the artists Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. 

They began to work together and immerse themselves in the world of Surrealism. The artist developed his own unique techniques, such as frottage, in which he transferred textures from surfaces onto paper by rubbing with pencil and charcoal. He also made use of the technique of grattage, applying paint and then scraping it away layer by layer. This resulted in random and abstract forms. 

Also very well known are his collages, which display surrealist characteristics, in which he combined various elements from different sources to create strange and unsettling scenes. Some of his most influential works include *The Elephants of Celebes* (1921), “The Eye of Silence” (1943–1944), and “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (1945) Max Ernst is regarded as an innovative artist who has had a significant influence on art history. His works can still be seen in numerous museums today. His artworks are brimming with surrealism and innovation.

His richly detailed works, which draw on dream interpretation, are still on display in many museums today. Yet it is also his eccentric personality that has elevated him to the status of an iconic figure in the art world. From the moment of his birth in Catalonia, Spain, the young Dalí showed great artistic talent. His parents supported him and he began studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. There, he was already exposed to various artistic styles.

In the 1920s, Dalí (like Max Ernst) moved to Paris, where he came into contact with the Surrealist movement. He joined forces with artists such as André Breton and René Magritte to develop his characteristic surrealist style and explore the hallmarks of surrealism. Precise, photorealistic painting and bizarre, dreamlike scenes characterised his style. It is particularly in his works that one finds an astonishing wealth of symbolism and recognises the significance of Surrealism. His distinctive moustache and his flamboyant demeanour quickly earned him cult status. Surrealism, Dalí and details, details, details… this is what immediately reveals the era in which Surrealism flourished. 

Dalí’s works are so fascinating because, whilst he depicts his details very realistically, the composition of the images is nevertheless not easily comprehensible. This creates an interplay of clarity and confusion, as is often the case in dreams. In many of his works, Dalí used recurring symbols, such as soft, melting clocks, elephants with long, thin legs and eggs. These can be interpreted as representing fragility, questions about life and death, and birth. Dalí developed his own creative method, which he called the ‘paranoiac-critical method’. In this, he sought to explore his paranoid dreams and give free rein to all his ideas. 

In the end, he brought these together, creating a picture of his subconscious. One very iconic image is that of the burning giraffe or his reinterpretation of The Last Supper. Equally important were his cinematic works, such as the film *An Andalusian Dog*, which he created in collaboration with the filmmaker Luis Buñuel. At the Teatro-Museo Dalí, visitors can still view his works today and gain an insight into his fascinating perception of the world. The impressive collection showcases some of the key turning points in his artistic development, as well as the defining characteristics of Surrealism.

René Magritte, (pure Surrealism!)

The last artist we would like to introduce to you is René Magritte (1898–1967). The Belgian painter is one of the best-known figures of Surrealism. His works are almost photorealistic and often enigmatic and paradoxical. His ability to depict everyday objects and items in unexpected contexts even leads one to question one’s own perception. One’s understanding of reality is challenged and the typical characteristics of Surrealism are called into question. Magritte was born in Lessines, Belgium. 

Like Dalí, he began painting and taking an interest in art whilst still a young man. After studying at the art academy, he initially began working as a designer. He was also active in advertising and poster design. Eventually, however, he devoted himself entirely to painting. Like his two colleagues, he too moved to Paris in 1920 and, through his work, quickly became part of the Surrealist movement. It was interesting, however, that Magritte had a somewhat different attitude towards Surrealism. 

He distanced himself somewhat and tended to take a more intellectual approach. This set him apart from some other characteristics of Surrealism. He therefore returned to Belgium and began to develop his own style there. Apples, hats, pipes, windows... Magritte used all these objects to depict them in contexts that cannot be fully grasped. 

He questions entirely everyday things and thereby challenges entrenched ways of thinking. In doing so, he also deliberately plays with perceptions of reality. A well-known example of this is his work *The Treachery of Images* (1929), which depicts an image of a pipe accompanied by the phrase “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe”). 

This work questions the relationship between image and reality by emphasising that an image of a pipe is not the same as the actual pipe. His motifs recur time and again, appearing in a wide variety of forms. The typical surrealist characteristics of his art feature prominently in art history. Famous works by René Magritte include “The Son of Man” (1964), “The Lovers” (1928), “The Perspective of Man” (1935) and “Golconde” (1953)

René Magritte is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the Surrealist movement. His works encourage us to reflect. Even today, his works are still highly regarded. His paintings have been a great source of inspiration for many writers, and one can also find references to his artistic output in philosophy.

Surrealism at the Barberini Museum

The Barberini Museum is located in Potsdam; this museum has repeatedly staged exciting contemporary exhibitions in recent years, including themes relating to Surrealism. Since 2017, a variety of exhibitions have been held in the reconstructed Baroque palace in the heart of Potsdam. 

The exhibition “Surrealism and Magic. Enchanted Modernity’ explored Surrealist art and its connection to esoteric and magical themes. All three artists previously featured were showcased in this fascinating exhibition. Whilst the Barberini family has no direct historical connection to Surrealism, the Museum Barberini now plays an important role in the presentation and interpretation of Surrealist art in Germany. 

Through exhibitions on Surrealist themes, the museum helps to bring the significance and influence of this art movement to a wider audience.

 If the journey to Potsdam is too far, do feel free to visit our online gallery. Here, alongside the artists already featured, you’ll also find a whole range of other students exploring the theme of Surrealism. Artworks inspired by Surrealism or Surrealist paintings all have a place here. 

Typical Surrealist characteristics can be found in many of the works. The Student Art Market was launched to provide art students with a platform to exhibit and sell their art. The ever-increasing demand for student artworks has now meant that these works can no longer be viewed and purchased solely at university exhibitions, but specifically online as well. The works exhibited here are by art students from Germany’s most prestigious art colleges and, in some cases, from universities in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland. 

The ‘Artist of the Month’ category gives you an overview of who’s really making a name for themselves right now. The Art Student of the Month is selected on the basis of various factors. This section recognises the artist who has generated the most sales in the respective month. We also take factors such as reliability, professionalism and communication into account when making our selection. In this way, we aim to particularly honour outstanding collaboration. As this award is only given once, it does not imply that the artist was any less impressive in other months.

Frequently asked questions about Surrealism