Curtis’s Reviews > The Politics of Surrealism > Status Update

Loved section on USSR's socialist realism, popular front, & rising nationalism in run-up to WW2. The split was inevitable, especially once Soviets cracked down on artistic expression. Surrealists may be Marxists but they're not collectivists. Individual creativity was ingrained in their movement! Great ending, love Trotsky & Breton's final manifesto & author's efforts to show surrealists were more than 'weird art.'

Lewis isn't shy about criticizing Surrealists. Hypocrisies are often pointed out, like in section on sexuality. The group wants sexual liberation and to confront taboo, but say "asking women what they think just complicates the issue," and are also homophobic. One item discussed at a meeting was how to tell if a woman has climaxed. Stuffy academics when it comes to art & theory--13 year old boys when it comes to sex.

Great job tying Dada & surrealism together--I never realized how directly one led to the next. I like how Dada's contradictions (which were part of its aesthetic) led to some being purists which broke the movement apart. book is academic, not entry-level, assuming reader already has base understanding about political/art movements of the time. Hyper-focused on political aspects so rarely talks about the art itself.