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Surrealism in Latin America by PAULA BLEYNAT DEBORAH DI GREGORIO XIMENA VALENZUELA

SURREALISM IN LATIN AMERICA

Wifredo Lam (Cuban, 1902–1982). The Jungle. Date:1943. Medium: Gouache on paper mounted on canvas. 

What is Surrealism?

Before talking about Surrealism in Latin America it is necessary to explain what Surrealism is. Surrealism is an artistic, philosophical, intellectual and political movement that aimed to break down the boundaries of rationalization to access the imaginative subconscious. It is a descendent of the Dadaism movement, which disregarded tradition and the use of conscious form in favor of the ridiculous. First gaining popularity in the 1920s and founded by Andre Breton, the approach relies on Freudian psychological concepts.

Proponents of surrealism believed that the subconscious was the best inspiration for art. They thought that the ideas and images within the subconscious mind was more “true” or “real” than the concepts or pictures the rational mind could create. Under this philosophy, even the ridiculous had extreme value and could provide better insights into a culture or a person’s desires, likes or fears.

A major reason why many people took issue with the movement was because it tossed away conventional ideas about what made sense and what was ugly. In fact, much of what advocates produced was designed to break rules in overt ways. The art and writing of the style often holds images or ideas that, under traditional modes of thought, are disturbing, shocking or disruptive. Its major exponent was Salvador Dali (1904-1989), the most eccentric and imaginative figure in Spanish painting

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