Most famous Surrealist Painters

Surrealism art movement started in Europe after World War I. The main concept of surrealism was to give ultimate freedom to the viewers about how they perceive artwork. Surrealism art movement was started to create paintings that are out of the box and unusual that can change the whole concept and restriction of art characteristics and meanings. Surrealism artists often put objects that have no connection with each other to create something very unexpected and out of the mind. Surrealist’s artists break the boundaries of art and paint where their imagination take them. They leave their painting as an open path for the viewers to perceive and depict according to their understanding and mindset. This article is listing some great and talented painters who were the pioneers of Surrealism art.

1. Salvador Dali

One of the most famous and well-known surrealist painter is Salvador Dali from Spain. Dali is known for his great imagination and best surrealism paintings. Dali didn’t limit himself to only painting but he also experiment the skills of sculpture, print making, fashion, writing, filmmaking, photography and advertising. But what make him popular were his unusual and creative paintings that represents his eccentric personality very well. Dali use symbolism in his work and his most used objects in paintings were eggs, clocks and elephants. Salvador Dali gain popularity for his personality and his most famous quote that will always stay alive. Dali stated: “There is only one difference between mad man and me, I know I am mad”.

2. Max Ernst

Max Ernst was the first artist to apply Sigmund Freud’s dream theories in his paintings. In Ernst work the dreamlike surrealism imagery is prominent with an idea of irrational modern world. His paintings made surrealism more wide and broad. He also explored the field of sculpturing and commentary.

3. Jean Arp

One of the most versatile painters of early 20th century, Jean Arp showcased his skills in the fields of paintings, sculptures, poems and drawings. He is best known for his wavy line sculpture that is often referred as organic abstraction. He introduced the concept of a chance and spontaneity as the component of artistic process. Although his work is non representational but still it is very famous. He is also the co founder of Dada (Designers and art association directors) and a very important and big name in the surrealism art movement.

4. Katherine Linn Sage

She was an American surrealist painter and poet. If you study her work more deeply then you will get to know that her work depict architectural constructions. She is one of the most prominent names of Surrealism movement. Her work was associated with thunderstorm by the biographer Régine Tessier, because her work depicts the depression and intensity at the same time.

5. Andre Breton

Breton was a French writer and poet. He was the original member of Dada and he led the surrealism movement in 1924. In his book he defined surrealism as the “ Pure Psychic Automatism”. He regarded art as an anti war protests and these were his most famous fundamental beliefs. He is always regarded as the leader and founder of the Surrealism.

6. Yves Tanguy

A brilliant surrealist who is best known for his paintings of molten surfaces and misshapen rocks. He used a very personal approach in his paintings. He used his childhood memories, dreams, hallucination and psychotic events. There are abstract landscapes included in his artwork and they are filled with biomorphic shapes that represent his immense love for nature. There is always a hallucinatory effect in his paintings showing his interest in unconscious and dream world.

7. Leonora Carrington

Another very important and big name of surrealism movement is Leonora Carrington. She was a great artist of remarkable of individuality. She was an English born Mexican surrealist painter who has experiment the usual unconscious mind and dream imagery. Leonora refused to follow the usual imagery concept of women in surrealism and the depiction of women as an object of desire. She painted imaginary beasts and creatures with the theme of identity magic and blend of various cultural influences.

8. Rene Magritte

Rene is from Belgium and he was one of the most famous and well-known surrealism painters of all times. He used the idiosyncratic approach in surrealism. Rene Magritte used everyday objects in his painting but put them in very mysterious and unusual context and positions. His art had the capacity to captivate the viewer and allow him to make countless perceptions and art assumptions in his mind. Rene is also known as the artist of evoking mystery because all of his paintings had a certain mystery behind.

9. Andre Masson

Andre Masson was one of early surrealism painters who has done very unusual experiments regarding his paintings. While giving freedom to his hand to draw anything on canvas for the depiction of unconscious mind, he used to do paint under hard circumstances like starving for a very long time or after getting drunk or under the influence of drugs. He believed that doing this will give him the perfect experience of unconscious mind and it will bring reality in his work. He is known for portraying cruel confrontations and bizarre combats. His work serves as the bridge between surrealism and abstract impressionism.

10. Man Ray

Andre Breton categorize Man Ray as the pre surrealist artist because there is a glimpse of surrealism concept in his work even before the whole movement came into being. He was a versatile artist who has worked in many fields such as like painting, photography, poetry, printmaking and film. Man ray was influenced by many other styles like cubism, futurism and Dada. But he is well known for his photography. He used various techniques to blur the line between dream and reality and introduced the concept of surrealism photography.