Can someone give me a definition for "convulsive beauty" intended as Andre Breton did?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

It has to do with surrealist art which was in vogue around the time of his novel, Nadja.

Surrealist artists found it amusing to paint hysterical or violent "beauty" and attempted to alter the classical notion of beauty as it stood at the time.
It's hard to explain, but it's something that invokes feelings of attraction and disgust at the same time as far as I can remember.

Source(s):

Hazy memories of art history and this page:
http://www.csulb.edu/~karenk/cb.html

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks! I think you might have saved my assignment :))