When? 

Surrealism started in the early 1920's, and has affected artists and visionaries ever since. That being said, Surrealism had it's peak visibility during the 1930s, when Dali joined a Surrealist group and created "The Persistence of Memory" (pictured above) 

 

What?

Surrealism focused on the imagination and subconscious to produce works of art that appeared dreamlike and were often unnerving. Surrealism used strange combinations of everyday objects to represent the combination of the natural and the supernatural.

 

Surrealism developed out of Dada, and evolved to transcend the arts and affected everything from politics to philosophy. 

 

Where? 

Surrealism first developed (like so many other design trends) in the cafes of Paris. The movement eventually spread across the globe and even took root in Latin American countries. This is evident when looking at Magic Realism, a literary style that combines the real and the supernatural into a world that feels straight out of a dream. Despite this, Surrealism is still mostly relevant in Europe. 

 

Who? 

Salvador Dali and Max Ernst are arguably the most well-known names of the Surreal movement. Dali was a Spanish artist with a vivid imagination who was incredibly technically skilled. Dali used animals in a lot of his work, which he used to represent human emotions and actions.

 

Max Ernst was from Germany and moved all across Europe in his journeys as an artist. Ernst's work was anti-fascist and inspired by his service in WWI. He originally dabbled in Dada, but eventually became a figurehead of the Surrealist movement. 

 

Why?

 

Why did Surrealism evolve into the bizarre art form that we know? It took a lot of inspiration from Sigmund Freud's psychological studies, which focused on subconscious desires and the hidden motors that impact our decisions. The movement also was impacted by the wave of Communism and Anarchism in Europe that took place after WWI.