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Key facts about Surrealism

The painting by artists Salvador Dali titled The Persistence of Memory from 1931, featuring the famous melting watch image.
Image caption,
The Persistence of Memory painted by Salvador Dali in 1931. Image: 漏 Salvador Dali, Fundaci贸 Gala-Salvador Dal铆, DACS 2023

Surrealism is a style of art inspired by dreams and hidden thoughts.

Surrealism started in Paris, France in the 1920s.

Salvador Dali is one of the most well-known Surrealist painters.

Other surrealist artists include Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte, Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst.

Surrealists believed that human beings should be free from the usual thoughts and rules of life. They would often play made-up games to help them feel more creative.

The painting by artists Salvador Dali titled The Persistence of Memory from 1931, featuring the famous melting watch image.
Image caption,
The Persistence of Memory painted by Salvador Dali in 1931. Image: 漏 Salvador Dali, Fundaci贸 Gala-Salvador Dal铆, DACS 2023
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Examples of Surrealist paintings

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 2, The Treason of Images by Rene Magritte, which shows an old pipe and the text 'This is not a pipe' in French below it., The Treason of Images painted by Rene Magritte in 1929. The painting says 'This is not a pipe' in French. Image: 漏 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2023
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Activity - Heads, bodies and legs

The Surrealists had games and tricks that helped them to get in touch with their hidden creative ideas. One of these games is known as Heads, Bodies and Legs.

You might have played a drawing game like this before and not realised it was a Surrealist game.

You could play this game with a partner or in a small group. All you need is a sheet of paper folded into four and some drawing tools, such as pencils or felt-tips.

Each person takes turns to draw a part of the character in each section of the paper.

  1. Head and neck
  2. Arms and top of the body
  3. Legs
  4. Feet

The ideas should come from your imagination. They don't need to be realistic. Remember that your drawings can be strange and dream-like. They can be surreal.

Hide your drawings as you go, by folding the paper. Reveal the finished drawing at the end.

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Did you know?

Public sculpture created by Salvador Dali on display in Andorra in Europe
Image caption,
A public sculpture called Nobility on Time by Salvador Dali on display in Andorra, Europe. Image: 漏 Salvador Dali, Fundaci贸 Gala-Salvador Dal铆, DACS 2023
  • The Surrealist movement was started by a French writer called Andr茅 Breton.
  • The Surrealism art movement started after World War One.
  • Some of the surrealist artists had fought in WW1 and making art helped them to deal with the difficult things they had seen and felt.
  • Dali's famous painting The Persistence of Memory which includes clocks and watches that seem to be melting, has inspired many other artists.
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Quiz

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Play Art Gallery Rescue. game

Help Lily and Will rescue the art gallery!

Play Art Gallery Rescue
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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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More on Drawing

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