Fractured Surrealists (Artists) Quiz

Answer: Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Salvador Dali had a long art career, lasting over sixty years, and became one of the most important and diverse artists of his time. He first tried out different art styles like Impressionism and Cubism. In the late 1920s, he became very famous as a main artist in the Surrealist movement. People loved his detailed, dream-like paintings, such as "The Persistence of Memory."

Dali used a special way of thinking he called his "paranoiac-critical method" to explore his hidden thoughts. This helped him create well-known, often strange, pictures that looked into dreams, sex, religion, and ideas from Sigmund Freud.

Besides painting, Dali also made sculptures, worked on movies with famous directors, designed fashion, created advertisements, and wrote books. He was also known for his wild public personality, which was as much a part of his art as his actual artworks. Even though he later explored more traditional art styles and was officially kicked out of the Surrealist group, he remained a famous artist who kept pushing the boundaries of art until he passed away.

Dali quote: "Have no fear of perfection, you will never reach it."

Answer: Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Frida Kahlo started painting after a very bad bus accident left her badly hurt, making her paint from her bed. Her art was very personal. She often painted pictures of herself, showing her body pain, who she was, and her strong ties to Mexican culture. Even though her special style was considered by many as Surrealism (an art movement about dreams), she always said she was painting her real life, not dreams.

She bravely showed her health problems, her intense and often tough marriage to another artist named Diego Rivera, and ideas about being a woman and dealing with sadness. Kahlo's bright colors and symbolic pictures, which often used ideas from Mexican folk art, made her work powerful and unique. This made her an important artist in history and a source of inspiration for talking about who we are and being strong in hard times.

Kahlo quote: "I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality."

Answer: Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Pablo Picasso had an extremely long art career, lasting almost 80 years, and became one of the most important artists of the 1900s. He was always trying new things and changed his art style many times throughout his life. Early on, he had his "Blue Period" and "Rose Period," where his paintings used specific colors and feelings. Then, he famously helped create Cubism with another artist, Georges Braque. This art style broke objects into simple shapes and showed them from different views all at once.

While he never fully joined the Surrealist movement, which was about dreams and the hidden mind, Picasso was definitely influenced by it in the mid-1920s and 1930s. His work from this time often showed strange, distorted figures and scenes that looked like they came from dreams, exploring feelings and ideas from deep inside himself.

Picasso didn't just paint; he also made sculptures, prints, and clay objects, and even designed for plays. He was known for constantly changing his art in big ways. His work always looked for new ways to see and show the world, leaving a huge impact on all modern art that came after him.

Picasso quote: "I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them."

Answer: Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)

Marcel Duchamp was a very important French artist who completely changed what people thought art could be. At the start of his career, he tried different painting styles. But soon, he got tired of painting in the usual ways.
He became famous for introducing "readymades," which were everyday items he simply picked out and called art. Think of a bicycle wheel or a urinal he named "Fountain." This was a bold move because it made people wonder if art had to be made by hand or look beautiful. Duchamp's ideas really influenced art groups like Dada, which made fun of traditional art and society.


Even though he never fully joined the Surrealist movement, his artwork and way of thinking about art were very inspiring to Surrealist artists. He was more interested in the idea behind the art than just how it looked. He also worked with film and optical illusions. Duchamp's influence is still strong today, as he helped clear the way for later art forms where the idea itself is more important than the art object, like Pop Art and Conceptual Art.

Duchamp quote: "I don't believe in art, I believe in artists."

Answer: Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910)

Henri Rousseau was a special French painter who started his art career later in life, after working a regular job checking customs. He mostly taught himself how to paint, which gave his artworks a unique, almost childlike feel. His simple style, with its flat look, bright colors, and dream-like scenes, was often made fun of by art critics while he was alive. However, important modern artists like Pablo Picasso really liked his fresh ideas and imagination.

Rousseau is most famous for his beautiful jungle scenes, full of strange animals and plants, even though he never actually went to a jungle himself. He created these amazing worlds from his own mind, getting ideas from gardens, zoos, and pictures. His ability to create strange, imaginative scenes that often felt like dreams strongly influenced the Surrealist movement that came later. Artists in this movement admired how he combined unexpected things and created a sense of mystery in his paintings. His paintings, which made people feel wonder and mystery, eventually became very popular and secured his place as a pioneering artist in modern art.

Rousseau quote: "The landscapist lives in silence."

Answer: Dorothea Tanning

Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)

Dorothea Tanning was a significant figure in the Surrealist art movement, known for her imaginative and dreamlike creations. Born in 1910 in Galesburg, Illinois, she developed an interest in Surrealism after attending a pivotal exhibition in 1936. After moving to New York, she worked as a commercial artist while honing her distinctive style.

Her career took a major turn in 1942 when she met Max Ernst, a leading Surrealist artist, at a party. They married in 1946, and Ernst's influence helped Tanning integrate into the Surrealist community. Her self-portrait "Birthday" (1942) was particularly impactful, showcasing her unique approach to art. Tanning's work often delved into themes of the unconscious and dreams, employing techniques like automatic drawing to access her subconscious.

Throughout her life, Tanning produced a diverse array of paintings, sculptures, and writings that pushed the boundaries of conventional art. She continued to create until her death in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and creativity.

Tanning quote: "Art has always been the raft onto which we climb to save our sanity."

Answer: Valentine Hugo

Valentine Hugo (1887-1968)

Valentine Hugo (née Gross) was a prominent Surrealist artist and illustrator, born in 1887 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Her artistic journey began early, influenced by her father, a musician, which fostered her creative inclinations. In 1907, she moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, where she refined her painting skills.

Hugo's career took a significant turn when she started designing costumes and sets for the Ballets Russes, connecting her with influential figures like Jean Cocteau. She married Jean Hugo in 1919, further immersing herself in the avant-garde scene. Her friendships with key Surrealists like André Breton and Paul Éluard deepened her involvement in the movement.

Her artwork, characterized by its dreamlike quality and symbolic elements, explored themes of the unconscious mind. Hugo continued to contribute to the Surrealist movement until her death in 1968, leaving a legacy of innovative and captivating art.

Answer: Kay Sage

Kay Sage (1898-1963)

Katherine "Kay" Sage was a notable American Surrealist artist and poet, born in 1898 in Albany, New York. Her early years were spent traveling extensively across Europe with her mother, which helped shape her artistic vision and multilingual abilities. Sage studied art in Rome, where she honed her traditional painting techniques.

In 1935, Sage moved to Paris and became deeply involved in the Surrealist movement. Her distinctive style caught the attention of key Surrealists like André Breton and Yves Tanguy, whom she later married. Sage's paintings often depicted architectural forms and a sense of isolation, showcasing her unique perspective on the world. She continued to create evocative and thought-provoking art until her death in 1963.

Sage quote: "I have said all that I have to say. There is nothing left for me to do but scream."

Answer: Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington (1917-2011)

Leonora Carrington was an artist from Britain who became a very important part of the Surrealist art movement. She was known for her mysterious and imaginative paintings and stories that often explored dreams, magic, and old myths.

She had a unique style from a young age, and she joined the Surrealist group in Paris, where she met fellow artist Max Ernst. After a tough time during World War II, she moved to Mexico. There, she really thrived creatively among other artists who thought like her. Carrington's art often showed creatures that were a mix of different things, and she used many symbols. She frequently painted women as strong and independent figures, which was a special point of view within the mostly male Surrealist group. She kept making art and writing a lot throughout her long life, leaving behind a big impact in both painting and writing.

Carrington quote: "I didn't have time to be anyone's muse...I was too busy rebelling against my family and learning to be an artist."

Answer: Yves Tanguy

Yves Tanguy (1900-1955)

Yves Tanguy was a painter who taught himself. He became an important part of the Surrealist art movement. He started painting in 1923 after seeing a work by another artist, Giorgio de Chirico, that deeply impressed him. By 1925, he joined the Surrealist group in Paris.

Tanguy developed a very unique style. His paintings show strange, dreamlike places, often filled with odd, blobby shapes that look like things from the ocean or unusual rocks. In 1939, he moved to the United States and lived in Connecticut. He always stayed true to the Surrealist style throughout his life. He was known for carefully painting these made-up, often empty and brightly lit dream worlds. His art influenced many other artists of his time and those who came after him.

Tanguy quote: "I try to awaken out of the dream of life."