What is the difference between Surrealism and Magic Realism?

Surrealism and Magic Realism both blend reality with the fantastic but differ in approach and intent. Surrealism explicitly depicts impossible, dreamlike imagery-melting clocks, floating objects, hybrid creatures-to access the unconscious mind. Magic Realism presents magical elements within otherwise realistic settings as if they were normal, creating subtle strangeness rather than obvious impossibility. Surrealism emerged from European avant-garde movements and Freudian psychology; Magic Realism developed significantly in Latin American literature (Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges) and German post-Expressionist painting. Surrealism announces its unreality; Magic Realism makes the magical seem ordinary. In visual art, Surrealist technique often emphasizes jarring juxtaposition while Magic Realism creates seamless integration of strange and normal. Contemporary artists often blend both approaches.