Automatism
- Automatism is a form of abstraction.
- When psychology talked about Automatism, these artists interpreted it as referring to a suppression of consciousness in favor of the subconscious. This group, being more focused on feeling and less analytical, understood Automatism to be the automatic way in which the images of the subconscious reach the conscience. They believed these images should not be burdened with "meaning."
- Faithful to this interpretation, the Automatists saw the academic discipline of art as intolerant of the free expression of feeling, and felt form, which had dominated the history of art, was a culprit in that intolerance. They believed abstractionism was the only way to bring to life the images of the subconscious. Coming from the Dada tradition, these artists also linked scandal, insult and irreverence toward the elite's with freedom. They continued to believe that lack of form was a way to rebel against them.
- Surrealist artists used the technique of automatism to explore fear, desire, fantasy, eroticism and symbolism. They often expressed and pondered images and ideas through writing and making art. Artists who employed automatism investigated the true abstraction of their subconscious, and relied on various forms of chance art such as frottage, grottage, decalcomania, and exquisite corpse.
- Dreams were also of great significance, as these were considered a chief route to the primal self, encased by what they believed to be an artificially constructed cultural consciousness. In an extension of this, Surrealist art sometimes featured recurring symbolism to convey different intentions. Dalí, for instance, was famous for his soft watches, which were meant to convey the idea that time is fluid. Ants stood for putrefaction and transition, while drawers symbolized memories that could be locked away.
Creating odd and often thought-provoking juxtapositions was another core Surrealist technique, with fragments coming together in unconventional contexts. In fact, the more various puzzle pieces differed from one another -- and the greater the sense that the newfound relationship was genuine -- the more profound the conveyed message was believed to be. This relates to the word "surreal" itself, which was meant to express the idea that Surrealism goes above and beyond mundane reality, that it reforms and transcends it.
- Surrealist paintings often leave viewers with a confused or eerie sensation. Apart from crazy juxtapositions, the art might portray menacing shadows cast by figures lurking just outside the frame or twisted objects that look like characters out of a nightmare or a hallucination. Components that many might consider perverse or grotesque are fair game, and eroticism often plays a role as well. All in all, Surrealism can easily come off as disturbing, or at the very least, a bit unsettling.