Angela Brauer is pursing a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities degree in the department of Comparative Cultural Studies. She will research the political origins and Marxist leanings of the Surrealist artists with faculty mentor Kent Linthicum for her project “Political Origins and Marxist Leanings of the Surrealist Artists” over the course of the spring semester.
Project abstract:
My project is about the evolution of Surrealist art and what influenced the movement as well as Surrealism’s influence and inspirations in subsequent depictions of art. My thesis is, “The influence of Surrealist art has influenced the subsequent depictions of dreams in art and other mediums as well. Our attitudes towards dreams and their depictions in art are shaped by the influence of Surrealist art.” The Evolution of Surrealism began with a literary and poetry movement that focused on automatism, these artistic words soon turned into artistic expression on canvas and many now famous Surrealist artists such as Dali came onto the scene. The Surrealists rejected rationalism and expressed their dreams on canvas. Today, Surrealist art, art of dreams, comes in many forms and even is sold as a form of commodity. In my project, I will detail how Surrealism and Politics intersected in a number of ways. The Surrealists as a whole took political action. Andre Breton, a great surrealist painter was also very outspoken politically. Additionally, Surrealists and Marxists had much in common, for example their mural criticism of capitalism. Additionally, political themes and messages can be found in the art of the Surrealists. My project also acknowledges that Surrealist art celebrates its 100 year anniversary this year and it is very timely and important to reflect upon the evolution of Surrealism, its influences and who was influenced by it, the political history of the movement, the amazing artists of this time, and where it is today.