How to Understand Surrealist Art

Surrealist art came to prominence during the 1920s. This cultural movement incorporated non-linear, sometimes nonsensical images and styles that defied normal, earthy art. Many artists all over the world adapted this loose style for drawings, paintings, sculptures and other art forms. Surrealism flourished in Paris after World War I, where artist Andre Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924. Surrealism methods also influence writing and film.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Acquaint yourself with the fantastic, non-sequitur images of works by Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and others. Arguably, Magritte's most famous painting "The Son of Man" features a man in a bowler hat with a green apple obscuring his face. Surrealist art plays with subject matter, images and form, and leaves the viewer wondering "What does it mean?"

2. Visit your local museum. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Chicago's Art Institute feature surrealist paintings by Magritte, Dali and others in their permanent collections, and often feature special exhibition by other surrealists. Even small town galleries feature surrealist work by local artists.

3. Study surrealism by attending a class at your local college or museum. Many schools offer non-credit art appreciation courses in their adult education programs. Museums and art galleries sometime have free or low-cost seminars where students can learn about techniques and history behind the artwork they admire.

4. Progress to the appreciation of surrealistic art films. Famous movies such as Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo" and Maya Deren's short film "Meshes of the Afternoon" included seemingly unrelated images and situations that intrigue and frighten movie-goers and make them think.

5. Try your hand at surreal art. Get colored pencils, watercolor and artist paper and improvise, or simply sketch stream of consciousness images on a pad of paper. It doesn't matter if the images "make sense." Surrealism is about self-expression and emotion.

Resources

• Read about the History of Surrealism here.
• View items from the Salvador Dali Art Gallery here.
• Check out the Rene Magritte Foundation.
• Buy surreal art posters at Art.com.