1.5 Automatism

Automatism emerged as a revolutionary artistic approach within Surrealism, challenging traditional notions of creation by tapping into the unconscious mind. It emphasized spontaneity and rejected conscious control, influencing postwar art movements and expanding artistic possibilities.

Rooted in psychoanalysis and Surrealist theories, automatism developed various techniques to bypass conscious control. It shaped abstract expressionism, action painting, and other postwar movements, leaving a lasting impact on contemporary art and cultural understandings of creativity.

Origins of automatism

• Emerged in the early 20th century as a revolutionary artistic approach within Surrealism
• Challenged traditional notions of artistic creation by tapping into the unconscious mind
• Influenced postwar art movements by emphasizing spontaneity and rejecting conscious control

Surrealist roots

Top images from around the web for Surrealist roots

• 

  La biblioteca del psicoanalista y su escritorio: André Breton. Diccionario del surrealismo View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Surrealist automatism - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  La biblioteca del psicoanalista y su escritorio: André Breton. Diccionario del surrealismo View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Surrealist automatism - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

Top images from around the web for Surrealist roots

• 

  La biblioteca del psicoanalista y su escritorio: André Breton. Diccionario del surrealismo View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Surrealist automatism - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  La biblioteca del psicoanalista y su escritorio: André Breton. Diccionario del surrealismo View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Surrealist automatism - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 2

• Developed by André Breton and other Surrealist artists in the 1920s
• Aimed to access the unconscious mind and unleash creativity without rational thought
• Inspired by Dadaist techniques of chance and randomness
• Sought to reveal hidden truths and desires through unfiltered expression

Influence of psychoanalysis

• Drew heavily from Sigmund Freud's theories of the unconscious mind
• Utilized free association techniques to bypass conscious censorship
• Explored dream imagery and symbolism as sources of artistic inspiration
• Embraced the idea of the artist as a medium for unconscious expression

Spontaneity vs control

• Emphasized immediate, unplanned artistic creation without preconceived ideas
• Challenged the notion of artistic skill and intentionality in favor of raw expression
• Explored the tension between conscious control and unconscious impulses
• Resulted in works that often appeared chaotic or abstract, reflecting the mind's inner workings

Key automatist techniques

• Developed various methods to bypass conscious control and access the unconscious
• Emphasized process over final product, valuing spontaneity and chance
• Influenced postwar art by introducing new approaches to artistic creation

Automatic writing

• Involved rapid, uncensored writing without conscious editing or planning
• Produced stream-of-consciousness texts often used as inspiration for visual art
• Practiced by artists like André Breton and Philippe Soupault in their collaborative work "The Magnetic Fields"
• Influenced later literary movements (Beat Generation)

Frottage and grattage

• Frottage: rubbing pencil or charcoal over textured surfaces to create random patterns
• Grattage: scraping wet paint from a canvas placed over textured objects
• Pioneered by Max Ernst as ways to introduce chance elements into artwork
• Resulted in dreamlike, ambiguous forms that sparked the imagination

Decalcomania and fumage

• Decalcomania: pressing paint between surfaces and pulling them apart to create random patterns
• Fumage: using candle smoke to create marks on paper or canvas
• Developed by Oscar Domínguez and Wolfgang Paalen respectively
• Produced ethereal, organic forms that evoked natural phenomena or psychological states

Prominent automatist artists

• Pioneered and refined automatist techniques in their artistic practices
• Influenced the development of abstract expressionism and other postwar art movements
• Challenged traditional notions of artistic skill and intentionality

André Masson

• French artist who experimented extensively with automatic drawing and painting
• Created intricate, biomorphic forms that blurred the line between abstraction and figuration
• Developed sand painting technique, allowing chance to play a role in composition
• Influenced later artists like Jackson Pollock with his gestural, spontaneous approach

Joan Miró

• Spanish artist who incorporated automatism into his surrealist paintings and sculptures
• Developed a unique visual language of abstract shapes and symbols
• Used automatic drawing as a starting point for more elaborate compositions
• Explored the relationship between conscious refinement and unconscious impulses

Max Ernst

• German artist who pioneered frottage and grattage techniques
• Created dreamlike landscapes and creatures through automatic processes
• Combined automatism with meticulous rendering to create uncanny, surreal imagery
• Influenced the development of abstract expressionism and art informel

Automatism in abstract expressionism

• Played a crucial role in the development of abstract expressionism in the 1940s and 1950s
• Emphasized gesture, spontaneity, and the physical act of painting
• Shifted focus from representational content to the process of creation itself

Action painting

• Coined by critic Harold Rosenberg to describe the gestural approach of abstract expressionists
• Emphasized the physical act of painting as a form of spontaneous expression
• Viewed the canvas as an arena for performative action rather than a space for representation
• Exemplified by artists like Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline

Gestural abstraction

• Focused on the expressive power of brushstrokes and mark-making
• Sought to convey emotion and energy through non-representational forms
• Emphasized the immediacy and directness of the artistic gesture
• Included artists like Robert Motherwell and Joan Mitchell

Pollock's drip technique

• Developed by Jackson Pollock as a radical form of automatism
• Involved pouring and dripping paint onto canvas laid on the floor
• Allowed for full-body engagement in the painting process
• Resulted in complex, layered compositions that embodied the artist's movements

Influence on postwar art movements

• Automatism's emphasis on spontaneity and unconscious expression shaped various postwar art movements
• Challenged traditional notions of artistic skill and representation
• Encouraged experimentation with new materials and techniques

Tachisme and art informel

• European counterparts to American abstract expressionism
• Emphasized gestural abstraction and the materiality of paint
• Included artists like Jean Dubuffet and Pierre Soulages
• Explored the expressive potential of texture and non-traditional materials

CoBrA group

• Formed in 1948 by artists from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam
• Embraced spontaneity and childlike expression in their work
• Influenced by automatism and primitivism
• Key members included Asger Jorn and Karel Appel

Abstract expressionism in America

• Emerged as the dominant postwar art movement in the United States
• Incorporated automatist techniques into large-scale, non-representational paintings
• Emphasized individual expression and the artist's unique gesture
• Included artists like Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, who explored color field painting

Theoretical foundations

• Automatism drew from various psychological and philosophical theories
• Sought to access deeper levels of consciousness and creativity
• Challenged traditional notions of artistic creation and meaning

Freudian unconscious

• Based on Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious mind
• Posited that unconscious thoughts and desires influence behavior and creativity
• Inspired artists to explore hidden aspects of the psyche through automatic techniques
• Emphasized the role of dreams and free association in accessing unconscious content

Jungian collective unconscious

• Drawn from Carl Jung's concept of a shared, universal unconscious
• Proposed that certain symbols and archetypes are common to all humans
• Influenced artists to explore universal themes and symbolic imagery
• Encouraged the use of automatism to tap into collective human experiences

Breton's manifestos

• André Breton's Surrealist Manifestos (1924, 1929) provided theoretical framework for automatism
• Defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism" aimed at expressing thought without conscious control
• Emphasized the importance of dreams, chance, and the marvelous in artistic creation
• Established automatism as a central technique for surrealist exploration

Critiques and controversies

• Automatism faced various criticisms and debates within the art world
• Raised questions about the nature of artistic creation and intentionality
• Challenged traditional notions of skill and craftsmanship in art

Authenticity of automatism

• Debated whether true automatism was possible or if conscious control always played a role
• Questioned the extent to which artists could truly bypass rational thought
• Explored the tension between spontaneity and artistic refinement
• Led to discussions about the role of editing and selection in automatic processes

Intentionality vs randomness

• Examined the balance between conscious artistic decisions and chance operations
• Debated the value of purely random creations versus guided spontaneity
• Explored how artists incorporated elements of control into automatic processes
• Raised questions about the role of skill and technique in automatist art

Commercial exploitation

• Criticized the commercialization of automatist techniques in advertising and design
• Debated the authenticity of mass-produced "automatic" art
• Explored the tension between automatism as a revolutionary technique and its absorption into mainstream culture
• Raised questions about the commodification of spontaneity and unconscious expression

Legacy in contemporary art

• Automatism continues to influence contemporary artistic practices
• Evolved to incorporate new technologies and media
• Expanded beyond visual art into other creative disciplines

Neo-expressionism

• Emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as a reaction against minimalism and conceptual art
• Incorporated automatist techniques into figurative and symbolic paintings
• Emphasized emotional intensity and gestural mark-making
• Included artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Anselm Kiefer

Digital automatism

• Utilizes computer algorithms and generative processes to create automatic art
• Explores the intersection of chance operations and digital technologies
• Includes generative art, algorithmic composition, and AI-assisted creation
• Raises new questions about authorship and creativity in the digital age

Performance art connections

• Incorporates automatist principles into live artistic performances
• Emphasizes spontaneity, chance, and bodily engagement
• Explores the relationship between unconscious impulses and physical actions
• Includes artists like Marina Abramović and Yves Klein's "Anthropometries" series

Automatism across media

• Expanded beyond painting and drawing to influence various artistic disciplines
• Encouraged experimentation with new materials and techniques
• Challenged traditional boundaries between different art forms

Sculpture and assemblage

• Applied automatist principles to three-dimensional art forms
• Incorporated found objects and chance arrangements in sculptural compositions
• Explored the tactile and spatial aspects of automatic creation
• Included artists like Jean Arp and Louise Nevelson

Experimental film

• Utilized automatist techniques in avant-garde cinema
• Explored stream-of-consciousness narratives and non-linear editing
• Incorporated chance operations and spontaneous imagery
• Included filmmakers like Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage

Automatic music composition

• Applied automatist principles to musical creation
• Utilized chance operations and aleatory techniques in composition
• Explored the relationship between improvisation and automatic processes
• Included composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen

Cultural impact

• Automatism's influence extended beyond the art world into broader cultural spheres
• Challenged conventional notions of creativity and self-expression
• Contributed to new understandings of the human mind and creative process

Influence on popular culture

• Inspired surrealist elements in film, literature, and advertising
• Influenced the development of psychedelic art and music in the 1960s
• Contributed to the popularization of stream-of-consciousness writing techniques
• Shaped graphic design trends emphasizing spontaneity and organic forms

Therapeutic applications

• Incorporated into art therapy practices as a means of accessing unconscious thoughts
• Used in psychiatric treatment to explore patients' inner worlds
• Influenced the development of projective psychological tests (Rorschach inkblot test)
• Contributed to the understanding of creativity as a healing process

Cognitive science perspectives

• Sparked research into the nature of creativity and unconscious cognitive processes
• Influenced theories of divergent thinking and problem-solving
• Contributed to debates about the role of intuition in scientific discovery
• Raised questions about the relationship between conscious and unconscious thought in human cognition