What Does Surrealism Mean?

The term ‘Surrealism’ derives from the French ‘surrealisme,’ meaning ‘above reality’ or ‘beyond reality.’ Poet Guillaume Apollinaire first coined ‘surrealiste’ in 1917 to describe the dreamlike quality of avant-garde work. Andre Breton adopted the term for his 1924 manifesto, defining Surrealism as art that transcends ordinary reality to explore deeper psychological truths. The prefix ‘sur-‘ indicates something beyond or above, suggesting that Surrealist art accesses realms of experience-dreams, desires, the unconscious-that lie beyond waking rational awareness. Today, ‘surreal’ has entered common usage to describe anything dreamlike, bizarre, or inexplicably strange.