Please; your help! My essay question is: "Psychedelia was the ultimate flowering of Surrealism." Discuss?

Question

I've decided to talk about Surrealism in Greece which includes poets and artists like Embirikos, Engonoloboulos. However, I haven't got enough information on the topic and media technology is required.

In my humble opinion Surrealism as a movement did not glamorize drugs however many artists were inspired through drug intoxication.
A quote from Andre Breton, the founder of Surrealism, "Surrealism is the intoxication".
What do you think? Could i write a 2000word essay based on that quote? My books are inadequate. I need literary books on Surrealism and I'm struggling to find them coz it's all books on surrealist art and a definition of individual artistic pieces

Advice, direction would be gratefull

Answer 1

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In my opinion, the psychedlic art opened up a period where there was no limit on what subjects could be portrayed. Drug use, sex, war, disrespect for authority were all covered and accepted as part of the genre. The work didn't have to be admired, anymore than the subjects had to be celebrated, but, before the sixties, some of these subjects would be, either, self-censored by the artist, or dismissed and not even accepted as "art" but merely one form or other of pornography.

Certainlly not shown in galleries or sold as posters or art prints.

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Answer 2

I've just googled 'Surrealist authors' and there seems to be a good bit to browse through. The British Library also had an exhibition based on all the modern 'isms' last year or the year before, so it may also have links to authors and other aspects of the Surrealist Movement. Try and go through the google links and I'm sure 2000 words will be easily achievable. Start with: alangullette.com/lit/surreal/

Answer 3

to me, surrealism is about the subconscious, as is art in general. that's where the creative process is located. I don't see why you should take any substance to get to the other world, but then I was never a heavy user. I love all artistic interest in experiences beyond the visible world. that's, among other reasons, why I'm a fan of Brody Condon's art (tmpspace.com). you might wanna have a look at his Without Sun (it's about the use of the legal drug salvia) and Twentyfivefold Manifestation (about live action role play). for some reason I'm now thinking about the lifes of saints, the stories about them starving (going without food, drink, sleep for quite some time). and the visions that came out of it. I dunno. hope there's something here you could use.