Surrealism: A Global Artistic Movement and Contemporary Artists
Explore the global expansion of Surrealism, from Latin America to Europe, and discover the influence of the movement on artists like Frida Kahlo and Tarsila do Amaral, as well as contemporary talents.
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Surrealism in the Americas is an artistic movement that emerged in the 1920s in Paris, but spread to the Americas during World War II.
As a movement between the wars, Surrealism responded to a post-World War I period that saw the slow reconstruction of major French cities, the height of French colonial power abroad, and the rise of fascism across Europe.
The emigration of Surrealists to various refugee locations during World War II spread the movement's influence across the Atlantic, where it would take root in the Americas.
The history of cultural migration has long been a catalyst for shifting artistic paradigms across continents: Tomie Ohtake - Biography and Art: A Journey from Immigration to Abstraction
As Surrealism gained strength in the 1930s and 40s, it brought automatic practices and an interest in psychology and mythology to a new generation of artists.
They are:
- Frida Kahlo, Tarsila do Amaral, Ismael Nery, and Wifredo Lam
Some movements that emerged in the 20th century, known as European Avant-Gardes, after being consolidated, did not perpetuate, except for some exceptions, such as the case of Surrealism, where we can highlight some artists.
Among them, we can highlight:
Vladimir Kush - Artist born in Russia in 1965, but who in the 1980s emigrated to the United States, where he resides in Los Angeles.
Rafal Olbinski - He is a Polish artist born in 1943. He studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology.
Rob Gonsalves - Son of gypsy immigrants, born in Toronto, Canada in 1959.
Oleg Shupliak - Born in Ukraine in 1967. He began his studies in Architecture, but opted to dedicate himself to painting, his preferred art.
Many creators found that a formal training in architecture provided a unique structural perspective for their creative output: Antoni Gaudí: Biography and Work: The Masterpieces that Shaped Barcelona and the World
Jacek Yerka - Born in Torun, northern Poland in 1952.
Octavio Ocampo - Born in 1943, in the city of Celaya, Mexico.
José Roosevelt - He is an artist and designer born in Brazil and who since childhood, has always been interested in all types of visual expression.
Visual expression in the region has evolved significantly, producing figures who redefined color and form for a global audience: Romero Britto and His Work
Surrealism Today
In 2018, the Celaya Octavio Ocampo Art Museum was founded in honor of this highly respected artist in his country.
