"AnAmusingLack
ofLogic":
SurrealismandPopularEntertainment
STOR
®
KeithL.Eggener
AmericanArt,
Vol.7,No.4(Autumn,1993),30-45.
StableURL:http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1073-9300%28199323%297%3A4%3C30%3A%22ALOLS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M
AmericanArt
iscurrentlypublishedbySmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum.YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceofJSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUse,availableathttp://www.jstor.org/aboutiterms.html.JSTOR'sTermsandConditionsofUseprovides,inpart,thatunlessyouhaveobtainedpriorpermission,youmaynotdownloadanentireissueofajournalormultiplecopiesofarticles,andyoumayusecontentintheJSTORarchiveonlyforyourpersonal,non-commercialuse.Pleasecontactthepublisherregardinganyfurtheruseofthiswork.Publishercontactinformationmaybeobtainedathttp://www.jstor.org/journals/smith.html.EachcopyofanypartofaJSTORtransmissionmustcontainthesamecopyrightnoticethatappearsonthescreenorprintedpageofsuchtransmission.JSTORisanindependentnot-for-profitorganizationdedicatedtocreatingandpreservingadigitalarchiveofscholarlyjournals.FormoreinformationregardingJSTOR,pleasecontactsupport@jstor.org.http://www.jstor.org/FriSep1016:59:022004
KeithL.Eggener
Photographerunknown,SalvadorDalisketchingHarpoMarxinHollywood,ca.1939
"An
AmusingLackofLogic"
SurrealismandPopularEntertainment
Duringthelatterhalfofthe1930s,SurrealismspilledoutontotheAmericanscenelikefluidfromaMeretOppenheim'sfur-linedcup.In1936,morethanfiftythousandpeopleattendedtheMuseumofModernArt's"Fantastic
Art,
Dada,Surrealism"exhibitioninNewYork(fig.1).TheshowthenmovedontoPhiladel-phia,Boston,Milwaukee,SanFrancisco,andothercities.SoonsocialitesweredancinglobsterquadrillesatSurrealistcostumeballsandshoppingthroughthepagesof
Vogue
andatBonwitTeller'sforSchiaparellishoe-shapedhats.Abroaderaudience,meanwhile,encounteredreamsofprintinpopularmagazineslike
Time,Life,Newsweek,
andthe
AmericanWeekly
detailingthemovement'splayersandplots.In1939,thousandsofvisitorstotheNewYorkWorld'sFairparadedthroughSalvadorDali's"DreamofVenus"paviliontowatchscantilycladmermaids-"liquidladies,"theartistcalledthem-frolicandgaspforairinavastaquarium,repletewithcow,piano,andtypewriters,allmadeofrubber.Advertisers,too,deeplymovedbySurrealism'slure,weresooninvokingitsthemes-dreams,desire,domination-topitchsuchmundaneitemsascarsandcardboardboxes(fig.2).Evenasthe"Dada,Surrealism"showwasstillonMoMA'swalls,M.F.Agha,artdirector
31
AmericanArt
forCondeNastPublications,spoketoaluncheongatheringoftheAdvertisingandMarketingForumofNewYorkaboutthepracticalusestobemadewiththenewartform:
Itcanbeeasilyunderstood
if
werememberthatsurrealismdealsprimarilyinthebasicappealssodeartotheadvertiser'sheart.Itcapitalizesfear,disgust,wonder,andusestheeye-catching,bewilderingdeviceswhichweallknowwerethebasisformanyasoundadvertisingcampaign?
WhilepreviousanalysesofAmerica'sinitialencounterswithSurrealismhaveconsideredthemovement'slinkstoleftistpoliticsanditsfertilizingofthefieldforAbstract
Expressionism.'
littleattentionhasbeenpaidtothewaysinwhichSurrealismwasfirstpresentedtoandreceivedbyAmericanmassaudiencesortohowSurrealismcametobeadoptedbytrendsettersinfashionandentertain-merit."Surrealismundeniablymetitsshareofhostilecritics.AccordingtoJeffreyWechsler,it"hadterribletiming.Intheearly1930s,asaforeignmovementdealingwithapparentlyirrelevantorslightlymadsubjects,Surrealismwasanirritationtothosewithgrowingperceptionsofanationalartwithmean-inganddignity."Attacksweregenerally
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