Through psychic automatism, the surrealist seeks to express the function of thought itself… This is the definition given by André Breton in his first surrealist manifesto.
By this definition, I propose that Kahlo and Carrington were only inadvertently achieving this task, and that their actual outcomes were not purely surrealist instead they land in other categories of work . I will argue that the category of surrealism lacks accuracy in the case of many of their works, including specific examples from Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet, and Kahlo’s “Memory.” Finally, I will propose alternative terminology for classifying their works, seeking to air out this gender biased and dank corner of art history.
(Thesis statement for my argumentative paper… to be written over the next few weeks… looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me… and good work it is.)
