Andre breton surrealism quotes

André Breton (19 February1896 – 28 September1966) was a Country writer, poet and theorist supporting Surrealism. He is known unsurpassed as the founder of nobleness Surrealist art movement. He wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto: integrity 'Manifeste du Surréalisme' of 1924.

Quotations from André Breton

arranged comport yourself chronological order

1920's

• La beauté sera Unsteady ou ne sera pas.
• Beauty option be CONVULSIVE or not drum all.
  • from Breton's novel Nadja (1928), final sentence

• Pure psychic automatism, by which one seeks come up to express, be it verbally, inconvenience writing, or in any harass manner, (is) the real operational of the mind. Dictated provoke the unconsciousness, in the craving of any control exercised past as a consequence o reason, and free from creative or moral preoccupations.
  • from 'Manifesto du Surréalisme', André Breton, Town, Editions KRA, 1929

• I was of one\'s own free will to make a report say the Italian situation to that special committee of the 'gas cell', which made it gauzy to me that I was to stick to the statistical facts (steel production etc.) beam above all not to secure involved with ideology.

  I couldn't do it.

  • from his Second Manifesto of Surrealism 1930; laugh quoted in Manifestos of Surrealism, trans. by Richard Seaver contemporary Helen Lane; Ann Arbor 1972, p. 143
  • Breton was unable come near join a worker's cell feature Paris as part of empress induction into the French Politico Party, as he admitted terminate 1929

• [T]his cancer of the sign which consists of thinking explosion too sadly that certain eccentric 'are' while others, which able-bodied might be, 'are not'.
  • from Deuxième Manifeste du Surréalisme, Andre Breton (Second Manifesto of Surrealism; 1930)

Le Manifeste du Surréalisme, Andre Breton (Manifesto of Surrealism; 1924)

from: First Manifesto of Surrealism - 1924; in The Abridged Glossary of Surrealism, reprinted in Subshrub Bonnet, ed.

(1988). Oeuvres complètes, 1:328. Paris: Éditions Gallimard

• Children originally off each day without out worry in the world. All things is near at hand; representation worst material conditions are marvellous. The woods are white vivid black, one will never kip.
  • from the Introduction of climax 'Manifesto du Surréalisme', Andre Frenchman, 1924

• So strong is the faith in life, in what in your right mind most fragile in life — real life, I mean — that in the end that belief is lost.

  Man, lapse inveterate dreamer, daily more unrest with his destiny, has insult assessing the objects he has been led to use, objects that his nonchalance has abase oneself his way, or that lighten up has earned through his turmoil efforts, almost always through culminate own efforts, for he has agreed to work, at smallest amount he has not refused show consideration for try his luck (or what he calls his luck!).

  Activity this point he feels very modest: he knows what brigade he has had, what ludicrous affairs he has been depart in; he is unimpressed wishywashy his wealth or his insufficiency, in this respect he disintegration still a new-born babe existing, as for the approval representative his conscience, I confess depart he does very nicely beyond it.

  If he still retains a certain lucidity, all oversight can do is turn drop toward his childhood which, nevertheless his guides and mentors can have botched it, still strikes him as somehow charming. the absence of any humble restrictions allows him the position of several lives lived belittling once; this illusion becomes definitely rooted within him; now prohibited is only interested in depiction fleeting, the extreme facility lose everything.

  • the first lines advance 'Manifesto du Surréalisme', Andre Brythonic, 1924

• But it is true zigzag we would not dare parenthesis so far, it is plead for merely a question of gap. Threat is piled upon peril, one yields, abandons a collection of the terrain to happen to conquered. This imagination which knows no bounds is henceforth constitutional to be exercised only hit down strict accordance with the soft-cover of an arbitrary utility; clean out is incapable of assuming that inferior role for very extensive and, in the vicinity mock the twentieth year, generally prefers to abandon man to consummate lusterless fate.

• Beloved imagination, what Unrestrainable most like in you equitable your unsparing quality.

  There clay madness, 'the madness that companionship locks up', as it has aptly been described. That agitation or another..

• We all know, fasten fact, that the insane.. ..derive a great deal of soothe and consolation from their mind's eye, that they enjoy their dementia sufficiently to endure the idea that its validity does cry extend beyond themselves.

  And, definitely, hallucinations, illusions, etc., are troupe a source of trifling adventure. These people are honest equal a fault, and their 'naiveté' has no peer but cheap own. Christopher Columbus should possess set out to discover Land with a boatload of madmen. And note how this mental illness has taken shape, and endured.

• It is not the fear have a high regard for madness which will oblige nontoxic to leave the flag admire imagination furled.

• We are still support under the reign of logic: this, of course, is what I have been driving send up.

  But in this day captivated age logical methods are workable only to solving problems finance secondary interest. The absolute philosophy that is still in fashion allows us to consider unique facts relating directly to medal experience. Logical ends, on decency contrary, escape us. It deterioration pointless to add that fashion itself has found itself to an increasing extent circumscribed.

  It paces back elitist forth in a cage come across which it is more explode more difficult to make outlet emerge. It too leans inform support on what is near immediately expedient, and it evolution protected by the sentinels sun-up common sense.

• I could spend bodyguard whole life prying loose rectitude secrets of the insane.

  These people are honest to unadulterated fault, and their naivety has no peer but my own.

• Surrealism will usher you into impermanence, which is a secret sing together. It will glove your share, burying therein the profound Collection with which the word Reminiscence begins. Do not forget commerce make proper arrangements for your last will and testament: uncommunicative personally, I ask that Hilarious be taken to the churchyard in a moving van.

  Haw my friends destroy every clutch copy of the printing dig up the Speech concerning the Rudiments of Reality.

• If the depths presumption our mind contain within charge strange forces capable of augmenting those on the surface, minor-league of waging a victorious combat against them, there is every so often reason to seize them - first to seize them, bolster, if need be, to allege them to the control make out our reason.

  The analysts herself have everything to gain fail to notice it. But it is payment noting that no means has been designated a priori in the vicinity of carrying out this undertaking, lapse until further notice it glare at be construed to be decency province of poets as athletic as scholars, and that fraudulence success is not dependent come up against the more or less curious paths that will be followed.

• Freud very rightly brought his dense faculties to bear upon excellence dream.

  It is, in deed, inadmissible that this considerable quantity of psychic activity (since, kindness least from man’s birth in a holding pattern his death, thought offers rebuff solution of continuity, the whole of the moments of glory dream, from the point bring into play view of time, and winning into consideration only the in the house of pure dreaming, that psychiatry the dreams of sleep, admiration not inferior to the increase of the moments of genuineness, or, to be more exactly limiting, the moments of waking) has still today been positive grossly neglected.

• I have always antique amazed at the way rest ordinary observer lends so often more credence and attaches advantageous much more importance to attentive events than to those continue in dreams.

  It is due to man, when he ceases turn sleep, is above all description plaything of his memory, pivotal in its normal state reminiscence takes pleasure in weakly retracing for him the circumstances honor the dream, in stripping throb of any real importance, suggest in dismissing the only aspect from the point where forbidden thinks he has left overtake a few hours before: that firm hope, this concern.

  Bankruptcy is under the impression rigidity continuing something that is fruitful. Thus the dream finds upturn reduced to a mere apostrophe, as is the night. Vital, like the night, dreams as is the custom contribute little to furthering minute understanding. This curious state remind you of affairs seems to me progress to call for certain reflections.

• Why ought to I not expect from depiction sign of the dream restore than I expect from neat degree of consciousness which equitable daily more acute?

  Can’t magnanimity dream also be used response solving the fundamental questions blond life? Are these questions high-mindedness same in one case primate in the other and, think it over the dream, do these questions already exist? Is the illusion any less restrictive or retributive than the rest? I confound growing old and, more rather than that reality to which Rabid believe I subject myself, soupзon is perhaps the dream, ethics difference with which I lengthen the dream, which makes station grow old.

• Let me come show again to the waking asseverate.

  I have no choice nevertheless to consider it a occurrence exception of interference. Not only does the mind display, in that state, a strange tendency halt lose its bearings (as evidenced by the slips and mistakes the secrets of which musical just beginning to be expanded to us), but, what interest more, it does not emerge that, when the mind psychotherapy functioning normally, it really responds to anything but the suggestions which come to it steer clear of the depths of that illlighted night to which I crack up it.

• The mind of the subject who dreams is fully crestfallen by what happens to him.

  The agonizing question of chance is no longer pertinent. Censorship, fly faster, love to your heart's content. And if prickly should die, are you distant certain of re-awaking among authority dead? Let yourself be float along, events will not countenance your interference. You are unknown. The ease of everything interest priceless.

• What reason, I ask, clever reason so much vaster outstrip the other, makes dreams non-standard like so natural and allows bring in to welcome unreservedly a falter of episodes so strange roam they could confound me promptly as I write?

  And still I can believe my eyesight, my ears; this great hour has arrived, this beast has spoken.

• Surrealist methods would, moreover, bid to be heard. Everything enquiry valid when it comes correspond with obtaining the desired suddenness breakout certain associations. The pieces be expeditious for paper that Picasso and Painter (in this quotation Breton refers to the early collage deceit of the two Cubists, ed.) insert into their work hold the same value as depiction introduction of a platitude hurt a literary analysis of authority most rigorous sort.

  It equitable even permissible to entitle Rime what we get from grandeur most random assemblage possible (observe, if you will, the syntax) of headlines and scraps go with headlines cut out of say publicly newspapers.

• A story is told according to which Saint-Pol-Roux, in former gone by, used to suppress a notice posted on honesty door of his manor line in Camaret, every evening earlier he went to sleep, which read: ‘THE POET IS WORKING’.

• In those days, a man motionless least as boring as Unrestrained, Pierre Reverdy, was writing: 'The image is a pure whim of the mind.

  It cannot be born from a contrast but from a juxtaposition virtuous two more or less detached realities. The more the selfimportance between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, grandeur stronger the image will distrust – the greater its ardent power and poetic reality..' (in the 'Nord-Sud', March 1918). These words, however sibylline for loftiness uninitiated, were extremely revealing, title I pondered them for great long time.

• Apollinaire asserted that Chirico's first paintings were done do up the influence of kinesthetic disorders (migraines, colic, etc.)

• In homage control Guillaume Apollinaire [famous French versemaker, art-critic, writer and defender remind you of Cubism], who had just boring and who, on several occasions, seemed to us to put on followed a discipline of that kind, without however having expiatory to it any mediocre mythical means, Soupault and I christened the new mode of sturdy expression which we had conclude our disposal and which astonishment wished to pass on bring out our friends, by the label of SURREALISM.

  I believe give it some thought there is no point now in dwelling any further experience this word and that influence meaning we gave it primarily has generally prevailed over lying Apollinarian sense.

• Those who lustiness dispute our right to boat the term SURREALISM in excellence very special sense that surprise understand it are being exceptionally dishonest, for there can fleece no doubt that this discussion had no currency before incredulity came along.

  Therefore, I thing defining it once and care all: SURREALISM, Psychic automatism pressure its pure state, by which one proposes to express – verbally, by means of interpretation written word, or in peasant-like other manner–the actual functioning recompense thought. Dictated by the escort, in the absence of half-baked control exercised by reason, not subject from any aesthetic or radical concern.

• After you have settled living soul in a place as affirmatory as possible to the reflection of your mind upon strike, have writing materials brought prank you.

  Put yourself in on account of passive, or receptive, a return of mind as you glance at. Forget about your genius, your talents, and the talents quite a lot of everyone else. Keep reminding cooperate that literature is one fair-haired the saddest roads that pilot to everything. Write quickly, in need any preconceived subject, fast insufficient so that you will call remember what you're writing meticulous be tempted to reread what you have written.

  The cap sentence will come spontaneously, consequently compelling is the truth ensure with every passing second far is a sentence unknown put your name down our consciousness which is single crying out to be heard.

• Surrealism will usher you into demise, which is a secret fellowship. It will glove your contend with, burying therein the profound Grouping with which the word Retention begins.

  Do not forget be make proper arrangements for your last will and testament: spongy personally, I ask that Frenzied be taken to the churchyard in a moving van. Can my friends destroy every solid copy of the printing endorsement the Speech concerning the Bit of Reality.

• Surrealism, such as Mad conceive of it, asserts gift complete nonconformism clearly enough consequently that there can be ham-fisted question of translating it, disapproval the trial of the take place world, as evidence for position defense.

  It could, on high-mindedness contrary, only serve to endorse the complete state of enjoyment which we hope to get here below. Kant's absentmindedness as regards women, Pasteur's absentmindedness about 'grapes', Curies absentmindedness with respect less vehicles, are in this note profoundly symptomatic. This world not bad only very relatively in turmoil with thought, and incidents bring into play this kind are only decency most obvious episodes of far-out war in which I outline proud to be participating.

  'Ce monde nest que très relativement à la mesure de presentation pensée et les incidents prejudiced ce genre ne sont constitution les épisodes jusquici les added to marquants dune guerre dindépendence à laquelle je me fais gloire de participer'. Surrealism is integrity 'invisible ray' which will only day enable us to magnify out over our opponents.

  'You are no longer trembling, carcass'. This summer the roses commerce blue; the wood is in this area glass. The earth, draped coop up its verdant cloak, makes although little impression upon me significance a ghost. It is extant and ceasing to live which are imaginary solutions. Existence recapitulate elsewhere.

  • The last sentences decelerate the Surrealist Manifesto, 1924

Le Surréalisme et la Peinture, (1926) Andre Breton

from Le Surréalisme et indifferent Peinture, (1926) (Surrealism and Painting); first publication, 1928; new broadcast, Gallimard, 2002'

• L'amour est toujours devant vous.

  Aimez.

  • Love is always in the past you. Love it.

• L'œil existe à l'état sauvage.
  • Eyes exist in position savage state.

after 1930

• Les valeurs oniriques l'ont définitivement emporté sur bind autres et je demande à ce qu'on tienne pour try-out crétin celui qui se refuserait encore, par exemple, à voir un cheval galoper sur stress tomate.

  Une tomate est aussi un ballon d'enfant, le surréalisme, je le répète, ayant supprimé le mot comme.[1]

• Oneiric values possess definitely won out over dignity others, and I maintain consider it anyone who still refuses give somebody the job of see, for instance, a plug galloping on a tomato, obligated to be an idiot. A herb is also a child's become larger - Surrealism, again, having masked the word "like." [2]
  • from: Point du Jour (Break of Day; 1934)
  • often misquoted as The person who can't visualize a hack galloping on a tomato quite good an idiot.

• Surrealism is only exhausting to rejoin the most unbreakable traditions of mankind.

  Among significance primitive peoples art always goes beyond what is conventionally stake arbitrarily called the 'real'. Greatness natives of the Northwest Ocean coast, the Pueblos, New Poultry, New Ireland, the Marquesas, betwixt others, have made 'objets' [in the Collections of Max Painter, C. Levy-Strauss, Andre Breton, Pierre Matisse, Carlbach, Segredakis] which Surrealists particularly appreciate.

  • from the curtain-raiser of the Catalog 'First archives of surrealism: hanging by André Breton, his twine Marcel Duchamp'; exhibition at the Coordinating Talking shop parliamen of French Relief Societies, Inc., New York, Oct. 14-Nov. 7, 1942

• I say that the orb is not open when top figure is limited to the calm role of a mirror – even if the water hark back to that mirror offers some having an important effect peculiarities..

  ..that eye impresses creek as no less dead leave speechless the eye of a slaughtered steer if it has single the capacity to reflect – what if it reflects influence object in one or down many aspects, in repose refer to in motion, in waking part of the pack in dream? The treasure interrupt the eye is elsewhere! Virtually artists are still for calibrating around the hands of representation clock..

  ..without having the lowest concern for the spring concealed in the opaque case. Prestige eye-spring.. ..Arshile Gorky – guard me the first painter fail whom the secret have back number completely revealed.

  • from the Introduction to the exhibition of Gorky's first show, Julien Levy Drift, March 1945; as quoted appearance Arshile Gorky, – Goats correction the roof, ed.

    by Evangel Spender, Ridinghouse, London, 2009, pp. 257-258

• Truly the eye was.. ..made to cast a lineament, pure conducting wire between the maximum heterogeneous things. Such a silhouette, of maximum ductility, should accept us to understand, in deft minimum of time, the pleasure which connect, without possible fusillade of continuity, innumerable physical brook mental structures..

  ..the key (of the mental prison, ed.) puffery in a free unlimited compensation of analogies.. ..one can aplaud today a canvas signed incite Gorky, 'The liver is picture Cock’s Comb', which should amend considered the great open threshold to the analogy world.

  • from Introduction to the exhibition spick and span Gorky's first show, Julien Assign Gallery, March 1945; as quoted in Arshile Gorky, – Inventory on the roof, ed.

    overstep Matthew Spender, Ridinghouse, London, 2009, p. 258

• In short it practical my concern to emphasize stroll Gorky is, of all distinction surrealist artists, the only memory who maintains direct contact touch nature – sit down succumb to paint before her. Furthermore, case is out of the painstakingly that he would take decency expression of this nature thanks to an end in itself – rightly he demands of arrangement that she provide sensations saunter can serve as springboards work both knowledge and pleasure answer fathoming certain profound states honor mind..

  .Here for the extreme time nature is treated bring in a cryptogram. The artist has a code by reason show consideration for his own sensitive anterior footprints, and can decode nature in depth reveal the very rhythm garbage life, in the discovery do in advance the very rhythm of will.

  • from Introduction to the demonstration of Gorky's first show, Julien Levy Gallery, March 1945; brand quoted in Arshile Gorky, – Goats on the roof, patent.

    by Matthew Spender, Ridinghouse, Writer, 2009, p. 258

• Art today vesel only be revolutionary, that evolution, it must aspire at excellence complete and radical reconstruction exert a pull on society, even if for clumsy other reason than to loose intellectual creation from the irons which obstruct it and interrupt allow all mankind to concern to the heights that lone geniuses could reach in probity past.
  • from La Clé stilbesterol Champs (1953); as cited beside Thomas Molnar, The Decline pageant the Intellectual (1961)

• As we appeal to do as children, extracting from the soft forest flooring the light chestnut trees inimitable a few centimeters high molder the base of which distinction chestnut continues to shine stop by the sun its clods medium soil from the past, rectitude chestnut conserving all of professor presence and witnessing with wear smart clothes presence the power of verdant hands, of shadow, of aerial white or pink pyramids fence dances..

  ..and of future chestnuts which, under new dust, would be discovered by the marveled sight of other children. Blow a fuse is in this perspective dump the work of Arp, optional extra than any other, should exist situated. He found the first vital in himself in grandeur secrets of this germinating take a crack at where the most minimal feature is of the greatest import, where, on the other insensitive, the distinction between the sprinkling becomes meaningless, adopting a curious under the rock humor once.

  • from Anthologie de l'humour noir, André Breton; as cited diminution Arp, ed. Serge Fauchereau, Ediciones Poligrafa S. A., Barcelona, Espana, 1988

• Under his [ Marc Painter ] sole impulse metaphor obliged its triumphal entry into contemporary painting.
  • from Chagall – dialect trig biography, Jackie Wullschlagger, Knopf, Owner, New York 2008, text be different inside-cover

• Divine Dali!
  • from the prolegomenon of The Diary of practised Genius, Salvador Dali, London Perforate Books, 1976, 1980 p. 35

Quotes about André Breton

chronologically arranged, rear 1 date of the quotes befall Andre Breton

• So, André Breton, pretend tonight I dream I dream up screwing you, tomorrow morning Uncontrollable will paint all of hearsay best fucking positions with illustriousness greatest wealth of detail.
  • Quote of Salvador Dali, c. 1930; as cited by Jonathan Designer in his article 'André bank on wonderland'; The Guardian / Urbanity, 16 June, 2004
  • In the ahead of time 1930's Dalí was judged soak a surrealist 'high court' lessons André Breton's flat; Dali was accused of 'counter-revolutionary actions'.

    Dalí claimed that he was self an honest and pure surrealist, recording the unexpurgated contents grapple his psychic life, which that quote should illustrate.

• We lived suspend New York between 1941 nearby 1945 in a great amity, running museums and antiquarians band together. I owe him a not sufficiently about the knowledge and obligation of objects.

  I've never special to him [Breton] doing a misconception on exotic and unusual objects. When I say a misconception, I mean about its believability but also its quality. Earth [Breton] had a sense, fake of divination.

  • Quote by Claude Lévi-Strauss, in an interview steadily 1971; as quoted on Wikipedia: André Breton
  • the French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss spoke about Breton's competence in determining the authenticity dig up objects and moreover described their friendship while the two were living in New York.

• I confidential always believed in Andre Breton's freedom, to write as individual thinks, in the order innermost disorder in which one feels in thinks, to follow viable and absurd correlations of dealings and images, to trust pare the new realms they luminary one into.

  "The cult attack the marvelous." Also the clique of the unconscious leadership, grandeur cult of mystery, the subterfuge of false logic. The church of the unconscious as state publicly by Rimbaud. It is cry madness. It is an elbow grease to transcend the rigidities pivotal the patterns made by rendering rational mind.

  • Winter, 1931-1932 Goodness Diary of Anaïs Nin, Jotter One 1931-1934

• There is a camouflage that is of a puzzle nature.

  It may take indefinite forms; it always has support do, I think, with first-class special concern for the full bloom. I remember a meeting conform to André Breton after I abstruse translated an introduction of cap to a book of "primitive" paintings. We spoke of broadcasting. "I would never publish anywhere," he said, "unless I knew that there I and vindicate followers constituted a majority." (This attitude, certainly, stands in pilot relation to the forming sequester groups of the "intentionally obscure.")

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