Friday lates: Women of Surrealism, convulsive beauties

What is the course about?

In his 1928 novel Nadja, André Breton, the founder of the surrealist movement, declared 'Beauty will be CONVULSIVE or it will not be at all.' This short course explores what Breton meant by 'convulsive' and what he and his fellow surrealists thought beauty to be. In the first part of the session, we think about these terms as ways into understanding the surrealist project. In the second part, we explore the art of feminist artists who came to the movement and its concept of beauty wanting to disrupt traditional concepts of 'womanhood' in the mid-20th century.

We will think about convulsive beauty as both misogynistic when weilded by certain artists like Salvador Dalí and liberatory when explored by artists like Dorothea Tanning. This is an introductory course, therefore we will not have time to go into biographical depth on artists. Instead, their art will help us understand the complexity of convulsive beauty and what the surrealists believed to be marvellous, a central conception in their art.

Some of the artists included will be Amy Nimur, Lenora Carrington, Kati Horna, Max Ernst, Unica Zürn and Hans Bellmer, Dora Maar, Pablo Picasso and Man Ray.

Content warning: this course in part deals with mental health, specifically people who have experienced post-traumatic stress which was once called 'hysteria'. Some images of people diagnosed with 'hysteria' will be shared and some students may find these images distressing. Additionally, there will be some artworks that some students may find sexually explicit and/or violent. The images are not shared lightly, they are shared because they are directly related to surrealist conceptions of convulsive beauty and reflect the physical violence of 20th century existence.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone can be used if you don't have a computer but please note the experience may be less optimal.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

-Surrealist conceptions of beauty and their origins in hysteria and world war
-Examples of artists who visually articulated 'convulsive beauty'
-Socio-political goals of changing the definition of beauty
-How convulsive beauty can be both misogynistic and feminist at the same time.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

-Discuss why redefining beauty was an important topic for surrealists
-Describe the use of convulsive beauty in at least one of the artists in the course
-Understand some of surrealism's goals as a socio-political movement.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is open to all levels. You will be taught online via Zoom and should therefore be comfortable with basic computer technology related to Zoom, its microphone, camera and chat functions.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will be taught with slide presentation, lecture and brief discussion/question and answer. The session is 2 hours with a 5 minute screen break at the end of the first hour.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no additional costs. You may wish to bring a notebook to take notes.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Everything you have wanted to know about surrealism but were afraid to ask
Modern art: movements 1900-1950.