Surrealism: The search for freedom beyond consciousness

Surrealism represents not merely one of the avant-garde movements in 20th-century art and literature, but also a philosophical movement. This article aims to provide a philosophical-anthropological examination of the transgressive aspirations of the Surrealists to attain absolute freedom of the self within the depths of the unconscious, where, in their view, lies true human existence. Employing methods of comparative and critical analysis, the study identifies the principal objectives and characteristics of Surrealist philosophy, distinguishing it from Dadaism, from which it emerged. The author's use of hermeneutic analysis helps to uncover the latent meaning in Surrealist works and present their interpretation. The relevance of the study lies in its capacity to offer a deeper insight into the interpretation of personal freedom within Surrealism, considered from an anthropological perspective and within the context of existential reflections on the authenticity of human existence. For the Surrealists, the world of dreams beyond consciousness constituted the sole remaining domain of human existence where the self is free from the collective intellect and rationalism. The author demonstrates that the focus on the unconscious as a space of freedom stemmed from the Surrealists' disillusionment with the ideals and values of European society, where rationalism and pragmatism had displaced spiritual guides. The author shows that the quest for personal freedom in Surrealism is intertwined with the themes of internal transgression (depersonification) and external transgression as the overcoming of prohibitions. The author introduces the concept of "depersonification of the self' - a renunciation of the autonomous "I" that allows the self to immerse into the pure realm of the unconscious. The core ideas of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis, along with the philosophies of Henri Bergson and Friedrich Nietzsche, which formed the theoretical foundation of Surrealism, are examined. It is further argued that the problem of seeking freedom in the unconscious is closely linked in Surrealism to the themes of dreams and chaos. The world of dreams offered a rich source of images and hidden meanings of being. Chaos was seen as the authentic freedom concealed behind the facade of rationality, reason, and logic. The author concludes that immersion into the unconscious ultimately reduces free creativity to the workings of the psyche, to the involuntary nature of uncontrolled feelings and desires. In a philosophical-anthropological sense, Surrealism focuses attention on the inner world of the human being. True existence is hidden within us, in the unconscious, which for the Surrealists represented a super-reality, free from the constraints of consciousness, reason, and social values. However, the author posits that genuine human existence originates precisely in consciousness. The primary condition for personal freedom is self-restraint, which the Surrealists sought to overcome. Beyond the boundaries of consciousness, the Surrealists did not gain the freedom of the self, but rather plunged into the captivity of an anthropological lack of will. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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