A Realist Approach to Surrealist Art

While surrealist art is often thought of as some rejection of classical conceptions of beauty, we can use such approaches to analyze certain surrealist art works. By using a realist metaphysical idea of beauty and art, particularly in the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, a deeper meaning can be drawn from surrealist paintings. Far from casting away realist metaphysics, surrealist art calls us to contemplate this realism in a new way. This new paradigm is exemplified in considering the contemplative aspects of several works by Salvador Dalí; and while not comprehensive, the analysis provides an insight for scholars into how they can use this aesthetic framework in their own analyses. If this realist method, specifically designed in light of traditional and classical art, can provide a fruitful way of approaching new, innovative, and non-traditional art, it deserves a broader consideration as a window into both aesthetic and metaphysical theory.