Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

Surrealism, by Hal Marcovitz. 104 pp. Detroit, MI: Lucent Books, 2008. ISBN 13: 978-1-4205-0005-9; ISBN 10: 1-4205-0005-8. $32.45.

Adolescence is a time of experimentation and limit-testing, a search for self-definition. This explains in part why many teens seek out experiences that stand their world on its head. Fantasy, horror and true crime stories help teens explore the edges of humanity and beyond with relatively little risk. It is no surprise, then, that teens are drawn also to the utter strangeness of surrealist art, which plumbs the subconscious and up-ends expectations at every turn. This volume, part of Lucent’s excellent Eye on Art series, unpacks the concepts of surrealism in a clear and accessible way. Opening chapters define the movement and its origins, offer basic explanations of Freud, precursors in the art world such as Dadaism and Cubism and summarize the “rules” of surrealism as laid out in Andre Breton’s “Manifesto of Surrealism.” Subsequent chapters feature key figures in the movement, including Magritte, Miró, Man Ray and focusing most heavily on the contributions of Salvador Dali. A chapter is devoted to the social context of the movement, with attention to socialist politics, the Spanish Civil War and world wars as significant shapers of artistic philosophy. The volume’s last chapter examines surrealism’s reach into the media of today, from art to television and film. Replete with color art reproductions and photographs, each chapter also features at least two full-page sidebars highlighting key figures and events. Highly recommended for middle school, high school and public libraries.