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What is Surrealist Automatism Art?

Surrealist automatism is a method of art-making.

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The artist suppresses conscious control over the making process, allowing the unconscious mind to have the power over it.

Joan Miró — Harlequin’s Carnival, 1924. Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Who invented automatic drawing?

Automatic drawing was pioneered by the English artist Austin Osman Spare who wrote a chapter, Automatic Drawing as a Means to Art, in his book, The Book of Pleasure (1913).

How does automatism relate to Surrealism?

Automatism was used by the Surrealists to facilitate the direct and uncontrolled outpouring of unconscious thought.

The Surrealists experimented with automatist techniques of writing, drawing, and painting.

In his first Surrealist Manifesto, André Breton provided a dictionary-style definition that made automatism virtually a synonym of Surrealism.

Early 20th-century Dadaists, such as Hans Arp, made some use of this method through chance operations.

Dada or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century.

And The Automatic Message (1933) was one of Breton’s significant theoretical works about automatism.

What does automatism mean in art?

In fine art, the term “automatism” most often refers to a technique of subconscious drawing in which the artist allows his unconscious mind to take control.

Probably the most famous painters associated with automatic art are Salvador Dali (1904–89) and Jackson Pollock (1912–56).

The term “automatism” describes unconscious, involuntary behavior.

The Surrealists borrowed many of the psychoanalysts' techniques to stimulate their writing and art, with the belief that the creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.

I totally agree with the surrealists from that time.

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Regia Marinho
Regia Marinho

Written by Regia Marinho

Building RegiaArt AI, the future of inspiration and art. Find me everywhere @regiaart

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