Dr Marion Endt (Henry Moore Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Manchester)
The Idle Curiosity of Dilettanti: International Surrealism and Notions of Epigonism, Amateurism and Expertise
Tapping into the tradition of the polymath and curieux of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century culture of curiosity, Breton, a collector not only of unusual objects, but also of rare pleasures and sensations, strove for totality and universality, despising passionless imitators abroad who were lacking, in his eyes, Surrealism’s coherent political and scientific rationale. The same holds true for watered-down, appropriated and institutionalised manifestations of Surrealism.
Famously difficult to please, Breton, despite proclaiming openness a touchstone of all Surrealist activity, watched closely over contributors in- and outside his close Parisian circle – approving, rejecting or excommunicating members and would-be members of the group at liberty. In this paper I seek to work through notions of dilettantism, epigonism, amateurism and expertise in Breton’s writings relating to International Surrealism, arguing that they are closely linked to concepts of collecting, totality and identity.
Famously difficult to please, Breton, despite proclaiming openness a touchstone of all Surrealist activity, watched closely over contributors in- and outside his close Parisian circle – approving, rejecting or excommunicating members and would-be members of the group at liberty. In this paper I seek to work through notions of dilettantism, epigonism, amateurism and expertise in Breton’s writings relating to International Surrealism, arguing that they are closely linked to concepts of collecting, totality and identity.
