What is the Marvelous in Surrealism?

The Marvelous (le merveilleux) is a central Surrealist concept describing experiences that transcend ordinary reality and reveal hidden dimensions of existence. Unlike fantasy’s escapism, the Surrealist marvelous erupts within everyday life-in chance encounters, dream imagery, and moments when the boundary between real and imagined dissolves. Andre Breton wrote that ‘the marvelous is always beautiful’-it represents authentic experience unconstrained by rationality. The marvelous connects to the unconscious, desire, and revolutionary transformation. Surrealist techniques like automatism and juxtaposition aim to produce marvelous experiences. Contemporary Visionary Art continues pursuing the marvelous through transcendent imagery.