surrealism
Surrealism began in the late 1910s, as a literacy movement that investigated a new manner of expression called automatism, which sought to free the uncontrolled imagination of the subconscious. Surrealism evolved in Paris, which at the time was the art capital of the world, and the city attracted artists from other countries in Europe and the United States. Surrealism became an artistic, intellectual and political movement which officially began with the publishing of the surrealist manifesto (1924). This was a book of guidelines for a surrealist wriiten by Andre Breton, a french writer and poet, who was at the forefront of the surrealist movement. At first surrealist poets did not believe that through the arduous process of visual art, visual artists could convey the spontaneity of uncontrolled expression. Although Breton and his followers highly regarded artists such as Picasso. Breton proved his support of surrealist visual arts by reproducing artworks into the journal 'La Révolution Surréaliste' and also arranging exhibitions to specifically feature surrealist visual artworks. Breton was at the front of the surrealist movement and was heavily involved in supporting and publishing of the visual expression of surrealism.
Alfred otto wolfganG schulze
Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze was born in Berlin, Germany in 1913. He was a painter, draughtsman, photographer and illustrator. In 1930 Wols attended the Berlin school of Applied Art. In 1932 Wols moved to Paris at the advice from Moholy-Nagy, where he met many surrealist artists. In Paris he was heavily influenced by artists such as Max Ernest, Jacques Prévert and Paul Klee, they would influence him to create surrealist works of his own. Wols was also influenced by the artists Otto Dix, a friend of his fathers, and George Grosz. At the start of WW2 Wols was interned as he was a German national, but he escaped and hid in Cassis in France, here he would draw and paint in watercolour. In 1942, Wols kept fleeing from the Germans and finally found safety in Montélimar. Wols had his first exhibition of watercolours in 1945 at the Galerie René Drouin. After the war Wols focused on painting and etching. Towards the late 1940s Wols' health started to decline, he then died in 1951 of food poisoning at the Motalembert hotel in Paris. After Wols died his artworks were shown at the Kassel Documenta 1,2 and 3 exhibitions.