Definition

1. Noun:
   • A member of the Surrealist movement: A surrealist is an artist, writer, or other creative person who is part of or adheres to the principles of Surrealism, a 20th-century avant-garde movement that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.
   • An artist who creates surrealist work: More broadly, a surrealist is someone who produces art, literature, or other works characterized by surrealistic elements, such as irrational juxtapositions and dreamlike imagery.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Salvador Dalí is perhaps the most famous surrealist.
  • The exhibition features works by several key surrealists from the 1920s.
  • As a surrealist, her paintings often explore the world of dreams.

Advanced Usage

• As an attributive noun: The term can be used before another noun to describe something related to Surrealist artists or their style.
  • The gallery is hosting a surrealist film festival this month.
  • His writing has a distinctly surrealist quality.

Variants and Related Words

• Surrealism (n): The artistic and literary movement itself.
  • Surrealism was heavily influenced by psychoanalytic theories.
• Surrealistic (adj): Having the qualities of surrealism; dreamlike and bizarre.
  • The film's plot was utterly surrealistic.
• Surreal (adj): Marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream; unreal, bizarre.
  • The experience felt completely surreal.

Synonyms

• Avant-gardist: A person who creates or promotes innovative ideas or techniques in art.
• Dream artist: An informal term for an artist who depicts dreamlike scenes (not a formal synonym but descriptive).

Related Phrases

• Surrealist manifesto: Refers to the foundational texts written by André Breton that defined the movement's goals.
  • He studied the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924.
• Surrealist techniques: Methods like automatism (free association) or exquisite corpse used to bypass conscious control.
  • The workshop will explore classic surrealist techniques.

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms that use the specific word "surrealist." The related adjective "surreal" is used in idiomatic expressions.) - A surreal experience: An experience that feels strangely unreal or dreamlike, often disconnected from normal reality. - Winning the lottery was a surreal experience for him.

Noun

1. an artist who is a member of the movement called surrealism