Write an analytical essay
Choose 1-3 works by a Surrealist artist and examine them through Freudian psychoanalysis, theories of the
unconscious, and/or the interpretation of dreams as well as what you have learned about Surrealist techniques
and interests in the module.
The works that you choose can be paintings, drawings, sculptures, etc. You are also welcome to compare and
contrast two works by different artists if you so choose.
How you approach your topic, and what your final essay will look like, is largely going to depend on which artist
and images you choose. As a movement, Surrealism is more of a theoretical approach to art-making rather
than a specific style/aesthetic. This means that every Surrealist’s work will look different from one another, and
each artist is going to use different techniques and inspirations. What you focus on in your essay will be highly
dependent on the artist that you select.
For example, your artist might have had a strong interest in trying to unlock their unconscious by using different
techniques, like André Masson’s use of automatism, or Max Ernst’s use of frottage. Perhaps your image
represents a rhebus or maybe it juxtaposes two disparate images together to create bizarre associations or
emotions for the viewer. In these cases, you might want to focus more on techniques and methods of making
the art.
In other cases, your images might be explorations of the artist’s unconscious desires, of dreams (for instance,
in the work of Salvador Dalí), or of the artist’s own personal trauma or life experiences (for example, Frida
Kahlo, Joan Miró, or Max Ernst). In this case, it will really help to do research on your specific image(s) and into
your artist’s biography. Many Surrealist works, for instance, were created by artists who experienced PTSD
(then called shell shock) after serving in WWI, or who were expressing fears about the Spanish Civil War (Miró,
Dalí) or WWII (Ernst). Others like Frida Kahlo or René Magritte used their artwork at times to explore painful
memories and personal trauma.
How you approach the essay will depend on the artist and works that you choose. You have a lot of freedom in
how you choose to focus your paper. The overall goal, however, is to apply what you’ve learned in our module
to an actual Surrealist artist.
Some artists to choose from include: Alberto Giacometti, André Masson, Joan Miró, Francis Picabia, Frida
Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Méret Oppenheim, René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, Yves
Tanguy, or others.