A Short History of Magic Realism

        Magic Realism developed as an art movement in the years after World War I. For many decades thereafter numerous artists throughout Europe and subsequently in the Americas crafted a representational art, mixed with elements of fantasy. This art was often typified by sharp focus and remarkable detail.

        Magic Realism evolved as a current within the Post-Expressionism movement in Weimar Germany. Related to the Return to Order movement as seen elsewhere in Europe, Post-Expressionism exhibited fewer neoclassical impulses than the postwar trends in Italy and France. It developed in Germany directly from Expressionism, but shedding the latter movement's abstract style and emotion charged nature. Post-Expressionism was contra-modern in style, but not retrogressive in nature as it dealt with contemporary subjects. In many ways, Post-Expressionist art mirrored and recorded cultural developments in Germany during the tumultuous decade of the twenties.

        The term Magic Realism was coined by the writer Franz Roh in 1925. He was referring to works within Post-Expressionistic art in which some mystery or a secret seemed to be hidden within or behind the subject . This type of art differed from  pre-war Realism, which was generally naturalistic and/or narrative in nature. Some important sources of inspirations for Magic Realism  came from the Metaphysical works of Giorgio de Chirico and the naive art of Henri Rousseau.

       Magic Realism is a type of realism covering contemporary subjects, often in cool detachment and with an eerie atmosphere. Juxtapositions of sharply rendered and detailed elements, both in the foreground and background, are used to develop an air of mystery or ambiguity. Although these paintings may incorporate everyday objects, their objective is not to display the mundane. Instead they attempt to reach a convincing alternate reality or even hyperreality.

       The development of a naturalistic style of art after World War I was encouraged by a number of  German writers and critics beginning in 1919. These writers felt that Expressionist art had lost its validity and was being exploited. Yet the swing of the pendulum toward more realistic art only developed slowly. In the early 1920s it was manifested in the art of a small group in Munich, which Georg Schrimpf, Carlo Mense, and Alexander Kanoldt, who interacted with Carlo Carra and other artists in Italy. The work of Max Beckmann during this period mixed naturalistic detail with dreamlike elements. Otto Dix also moved toward realism in both his portraits and personal work, often with a verist approach .    

        The potential of the new movement could be seen with the traveling exhibition Die Neue Sachlichkeit (The New Objectivity), which was organized by Gustav Hartlaub, and began in Mannheim during 1925. Thereafter Neue Sachlichkeit was to replace Post-Expressionism as name of the art of the Weimar period.      

        The second half of the decade of the 1920s was the most productive period in Germany between the wars. Otto Dix was developing a mature Realism, based on his study of the Old Masters. He and others were instrumental in teaching a second generation of Magic Realists. Franz Radziwill, who studied with Dix, developed eerie urban scenes. Christian Schad, whose works are so typical of Magic Realism, moved to Vienna in 1925, then in 1927 to Berlin, where he flourished. Throughout German numerous artist produced characteristic artwork related to Magic Realism as defined by Franz Roh .

        The onset of the Great Depression and subsequent rise of the Nazi party in the 1930s were to bring a halt further development of Neue Sachlichkeit. The Nazis declared most of the movement as "Degenerate Art", and a number of works were destroyed in public burnings. Others were lost in the bombings during the war. Many artists lost their academic positions or were dislocated from their homes. And during the 1930s, a number of artists channeled their efforts into Surrealism, which became popular in Europe during this decade.

        American artists were generally remained isolated from these developments in Europe. Generally, the Realism of the 1920s and 30s is referred to as The American Scene. This included rural art, called Regionalism, and urban art, usually referred to as Social Realism . American art had strong traditions of realism going back to the 18th century, somewhat tempered by Impressionism prior to World War I or by indigenous Expressionism and naive styles.

        Within The American Scene there were many styles, some of which are closely related to the Magic Realism of Germany. Grant Wood traveled to Europe several times, where he studied the German and Flemish Masters and became acquainted with Neue Sachlichkeit. He developed a parochial naturalism with a satirical bend. Ivan Albright developed a bizarre realism with extreme detail, which eventually became mortified. During this same time, the Precisionists, led by Charles Sheeler, developed a detached style of art with sharp detail, that shares many characteristics with Neue Sachlichkeit .

        During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Surrealism movement in art gained momentum in Europe. A number of artists in America were interested in Surrealism and experimented, mixing it with Realism . They were however not interested in joining the European movement . This remained the case even after a number of the European Surrealists immigrated to the U.S. at the end of the 1930s, fleeing from to the impending war. In the 1930s the American public became aware of European Surrealism, largely due to the publicity that surrounded Salvador Dali . Within a few years, however, Dali became discredited among the critics, who resented his popularity. They stated that he had sold out to commercial interests.

        Many of the American artists of the 1930s experimented with a home-gown type of Surrealism, yet, for the most part, this art remains distinct from the art that had developed earlier in Europe. A major exhibition "American Realists and Magic Realists", was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York during 1942. Within the exhibit, the artists generally referred to as Magic Realists  were Ivan Albright, Clarence H Carter, Peter Blume, Philip Evergood,  O Louis Guglielmi, Jared French, Paul Cadmus, Zsissly (Malvin Marr Albright), and Charles Rain . Work by Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper was also included. Wyeth has to later become perhaps the most well-known American artist to be associated with Magic Realism .

        Two other artists who began painting in the 1940s became important Magic Realists. George Tooker, friend of Paul Cadmus and Jared French, who worked in egg tempera exclusively, produced many works during the next 50 years. And the Canadian Alex Colville gave us a personal view of his native country over the next few decades. Meanwhile, many other artists throughout the Americas, particularly in Mexico, produced work related to Magic Realism . However, the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the U.S. took most of the publicity away from representational art.

        There is some debate as to whether Magic Realism encompasses a movement in art, or is simply a style. It should be noted that there is controversy with most art movements, as to what should be included and which artists participated. At the very least, one can say that Magic Realism represents a strong current within the traditions of Realism . No, it does not have a manifesto or standard bearer.  Yet if we consider the large number of works that are related characteristically to the initial definition provided by Franz Roh, there should be no doubt that it is an important movement in the 20th Century. It is "The Quiet Movement".

        The techniques used by Magic Realists were used in many parts of the world throughout the 20th century. Ten Dreams has compiled an extensive history of Magic Realism, supported by many examples that are little known . We invite you to explore this movement in detail from its beginnings in Weimar Germany through its spread to many countries worldwide, in our more comprehensive study that follows.

Neue Sachlichkeit Gallery
America Magic Realism Gallery

Email: dreams@tendreams.org.