surrealism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a 20th century movement of artists and writers (developing out of dadaism) who used fantastic images and incongruous juxtapositions in order to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams

2. 2
   noun

   An artistic movement and an aesthetic philosophy that aims for the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative powers of the subconscious.

3. 3
   noun

   Art with a surreal aesthetic or narrative, regardless of whether or not it is linked to the surrealist movement.

Etymology

From French surréalisme. By surface analysis, sur- + realism or surreal + -ism.