Surrealist Painting

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An introduction to the great Surrealist painters.

Simon Wilson

Editions:

Price: USD$11.95

120 points

Overview

One of a series of introductory books on the great masters and movements in art
This volume on the Surrealist painters contains an extensive essay, 48 full-page colour plates, and is accompanied by extensive notes and comparative illustrations
Provides incomparable value
Highly regarded for its insight and authority

Specifications

Paperback
English
305 x 225 mm, 12 x 8 7/8 in
128 pp
50 colour illustrations, 36 black and white illustrations
ISBN-13: 9780714827223
ISBN-10: 0714827223

About the book

‘Sexual instinct, feeling of death, physical notion of the enigma of space....’ – these, according to Salvador Dalí, are the ‘great vital constants’ that make up the vocabulary of the language of the unconscious – the language of the Surrealist painters. Dealing with the fundamentals of human existence, the Surrealists tried to create an art that is universal in its significance, speaking directly to the spectator’s deepest instincts.
Their painting developed in two directions: Ernst, Magritte and Dalí reintroduced the powerful figurative imagery which had been largely missing since the revolution of Fauvism and Cubism; their art was also a revolt against the rationalism of abstract art. Miró, Masson and Matta, on the other hand, pursued the idea of automatism, painting out their inner impulses in spontaneous improvisation.

In this survey of the Surrealist movement, the author presents a wide cross-section of its finest works, with an extended introduction and detailed commentaries on each of the 48 full-colour plates.

In The Press

'Ideal introductions for students and museum-goers.' (Independent)

About the author(s)

Simon Wilson is Curator of Interpretation at the Tate Gallery, London.