The development of Magic Realism in countries outside of Germany is complicated by the somewhat concurrent development of Surrealism . Some art critics and historians have failed to distinguish Magic Realism from Expressionism on the one hand, while others include many of its works as a part of Surrealism . Therefore a discussion of these movements is not possible without first defining what each of these movements represent, and how to they differ from each other.

       Surrealism was an organized movement in both art and literature, finding its impetus in "The Surrealist Manifesto", published by poet and art critic André Breton in 1924. The purpose of this art was an approach to finds ways to methods of uniting the conscious and subconscious realms of experience. The world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in "an absolute reality, a surreality". The Surrealists drew from the theories of Sigmund Freud, probing the subconscious mind as a wellspring of imagination. The Surrealists engaged in rather spirited, sometimes unharmonious,  discussions as to how to tap the subconscious mind and manifest it in their works. Some of them were interested in abnormal behaviors and sexuality. In contrast, the artists of Neue Sachlichkeit generally were often socially critical or very candid about sexuality, but they acted more often as observers of society than as explorers of the subconscious mind. 

       Both Surrealism and Magic Realism use a mixture of realism and fantastic elements. The main differences lay in the content itself. The objective of the Magic Realist is to bring us fresh presentation of the everyday world we live in. The artist may choose unusual points of view, mysterious juxtapositions or common objects presented in uncanny ways. However, everything we see is within the realm of the possible, although sometimes unlikely. Surrealism takes us to another world, one which is unreal and exists only in our mind. It presents the impossible, using both traditional and experimental artistic techniques, sometimes surprising or even shocking us.

       Surrealism as a formal movement developed in Europe mainly during the late 1920s and 1930s. A large number of painters in America followed its development with interest, and remained independent . With the outbreak of World War II, many of the European Surrealists fled to the Americas. However they remained mostly isolated from American artists. The most important result of this immigration was their influence on the development of the Abstract Expressionism movement .

       From the technical standpoint, the realistic effects of Magic Realism are achieved by a number of techniques. These include the thinning of oil media with turpentine or by using glazes. Some artists like Otto Dix expended considerable efforts to sand down the canvas in order to remove brush strokes. Many Magic Realists used egg tempera, which has used by painters for thousand of years. It is usually applied on wood or other hard surfaces. Some of the Surrealists also borrowed from techniques of the Old Masters to help heighten the illusionary effects in their work. Yet the sharper details in Magic Realism are often reserved for the elements which the artist feel are most important in creating a fantastical effect .

       The difficulty for many art historians of distinguishing the Magic Realism from the Surrealism is that a number of artists tended to cross back and forth between the two  approaches. A number of the paintings by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte are clearly Magic Realism pieces. The painting to the right is the Portrait of Gala from 1935. In an early period Dali executed a number of paintings in the Magic Realism style, mainly during the years 1923-25. He also crossed between Surrealism and a neoclassical style several times later in life. Similarly the American artists Peter Blume and O. Louis Guglielmi crossed back and forth between Magic Realistic and Surrealistic approaches during their careers.

       The inherent nature of Magic Realism presents a major focus for its practitioners in challenging them to develop new subject matter. Magic Realism requires that the imagery always be original and unfamiliar. And there are inherent restrictions from using the traditional resources of the historical, the mythical or religious subjects. It is for this reason that for many artists only a portion of their oeuvre ends up being considered to be Magic Realism . For only a few artists can we say that the majority of their work is characteristic of Magic Realism .

       Our discussion continues...             
 

Neue Sachlichkeit Gallery
European Magic Realism Gallery
America Magic Realism Gallery

Chapter 1 - Magic Realism Introduction
Chapter 2 - Roots of Magic Realism
Chapter 3 - Neue Sachlichkeit Artists
Chapter 5 - Magic Realism in other European countries
Chapter 6 - Magic Realism in the Americas (1)
Chapter 7 - Magic Realism in the Americas (2)
Chapter 8 - Contemporary Magic Realism
Chapter 9 - The Future of Magic Realism

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