Making History
Surrealism and the Invention of a Political Culture
Published on 18. February 2002
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-7618-2210-3 (ISBN)
Description
In Making History, Kirsten Strom investigates the Surrealists' radical critique of history and historical authorship. Locating Surrealism firmly within the culture wars of France in the 1920s and 30s, Strom examines the construction of a Surrealist anti-canon, one which would corrupt the contents of conventional artistic and literary canons, while simultaneously exposing the ideological biases of histories purportedly based on transcendent, timeless, and universal aesthetic truths. Indeed, through their celebration of the scandalous and the marginalized, as exemplified by figures including the Marquis de Sade, "outsider" artist Ferdinand Cheval, and unknown child poet Giselle Prassinos, the Surrealists would reveal that history can be not only a form of oppression, but a form of protest as well.
Reviews / Votes
This slim, elegant and touching volume opens up the question of the political intentions of surrealism?Strom's erudition has resulted in a masterful short book that could work wonders as an introduction to surrealism, as a debut of modernist art history and as a political primer for those many youth with hair dyed green who would like to oppose the dead hand of today's dogmatic academic leftism. -- Kirby Olson, SUNY- Delhi * Literary Research * This slim, elegant and touching volume opens up the question of the political intentions of surrealism...Strom's erudition has resulted in a masterful short book that could work wonders as an introduction to surrealism, as a debut of modernist art history and as a political primer for those many youth with hair dyed green who would like to oppose the dead hand of today's dogmatic academic leftism. -- Kirby Olson, SUNY- Delhi * Literary Research *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lanham, MD
United States
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 143 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
327 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7618-2210-3 (9780761822103)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kirsten Strom is Assistant Professor of Art History at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
Content
Chapter 1 List of Figures Chapter 2 Acknowledgements Chapter 3 Two Pictures Chapter 4 The War and After: A Contextual Analysis Chapter 5 Inventing a Political Culture Chapter 6 The Surrealist Critique of History Chapter 7 Imaging a Political Culture Chapter 8 Conclusions Chapter 9 Notes Chapter 10 Bibliography Chapter 11 Index