Does Andre Breton's pedantic tone and homophobia taint surrealism for you?

Question

Can you seperate art and artist? Explain.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

While it is true that surrealism has a strong influence on global culture -- mostly due to the efforts of artists and poets other than Breton -- it is also true that the reason for this is that surrealism existed as a coherent movement for many years. For this, Breton is wholly responsible.

To the charge of pedantry, I'd say that the majority of Breton's writing don't strike me as pedantic. I find his writings to be lyrical and exciting, and written in a spirit of discovery and exploration. He may be sort of a mystic -- esoteric and a little aloof -- but not a pedant.

His homophobia is definitely a strike against him, as is his refusal to acknowledge music as a serious form of artistic expressions. These prejudices seem regrettable limitations of his character that he never overcame or acknowledged. On the other hand, his prejudices did not prevent gay artists --such as Rene Crevel-- from working in surrealist mode.

Answer 2

Not really.

Ok, maybe a little.

Answer 3

andré breton didn't own surrealism - he only wrote the manifestoes.

the term was used first by guillaume apollinaire - whose caligrammes were most certainly surrealist. robert desnos and paul eluard were major surrealists poets who did not noticeably share breton's prejudices.

breton's importance to surrealism was really only as a theorist and an agitator. surrealism itself was the art made by the poets, painters and dramatists.

so breton's campanalistic prejudices damage breton, not the surrealist movement as a whole.

Source(s):

http://www.borromaeum.at/wschin/magritte…