This thesis is devoted to a comprehensive study of the transformation and adaptation of the aesthetics of surrealism in visual practices of the late 20th – first quarter of the 21st century, especially in the context of digital culture. The relevance of the study topic is due to the need for a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of surrealism, which, having gone beyond the boundaries of the historical avant-garde movement, continues to function as a cross-cutting aesthetic paradigm in the visual culture of the late 20th–21st centuries. Surrealism, which opposes itself to traditional narrative principles, is distinguished by the production of the unusual, strange and abstract, which stimulates a person to rethink their own position in the world and go beyond rational norms. In the context of total digitalization, hyperproduction of content and the dominance of algorithmic logic, surrealist techniques have transformed from a means of elitist artistic reflection into a universal language of mass communication, which requires the development of new conceptual models for its description.
The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the aesthetic practices and technological transformations of surrealism in the visual culture of the late 20th–21st centuries. Achieving this goal required the fulfillment of a number of tasks, including: theoretical and methodological substantiation of the concept of surrealism as a transmedia paradigm; establishing a complex of aesthetic and media-specific regularities of its evolution; improving the periodisation of surrealist tendencies; substantiating and introducing into scientific circulation new aesthetic models – “neo-surrealism”, “mass-surrealism” and “pop-surrealism”; establishing the mechanisms of modern reception of surrealist images; characterising the impact of digital technologies on the visual logic of the direction.
The thesis reveals the essence of the evolution of surrealism based on a complex, transmedia, comparative and structural-logical approaches, which allowed us to obtain the following results, which act as provisions of scientific novelty: the periodisation of the trends of surrealism in audiovisual practices of the 20th – first quarter of the 21stccentury has been improved, which clearly correlates with the three main directions of its practice: the avant-garde stage (1920–1960s) – classical surrealism; the postmodern stage (1970–1990s) – neo-surrealism; the digital stage (2000–2020s) – mass surrealism and pop surrealism . This periodization reflects shifts in the ontology of the artistic image, the status of authorship (from the autocentric model to algorithmic and consumer -oriented practices) and the mechanisms of cultural functioning. For the first time, conceptually new aesthetic models that form a systemic classification have been substantiated and introduced into scientific circulation:
The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, conclusions and a list of sources used. The first chapter analyses the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study. It is determined that surrealism is not only an artistic movement, but also a fundamental prerequisite for a type of reflection that encourages a person to rethink their own position in the world. It is found that surrealist aesthetics had a significant impact on the formation of visual culture: on the one hand, practices were used as a means of artistic expression, and on the other, audiovisual media borrowed surrealist techniques to represent philosophical and narrative models.
It is grounded that the practices of neo-surrealism, mass-surrealism and pop-surrealism retain reflexive potential, but realize it in different ways: from deep individual reflection in films to short-term emotional and identity-based reactions in media art and advertising videos. It is determined that memeticity and the use of surreal images for self-presentation in social networks are key markers of modern reception.
The theoretical significance of the work lies in the systematization and refinement of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of cultural studies and the development of a transmedia approach that enriches the methodological base of media studies. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the results: in educational activities for the formation of courses on the history and theory of visual culture, media art; in the practice of audiovisual production (cinematography, advertising, game design) for the meaningful use of surrealist techniques.
Keywords: surrealism, neo-surrealism, mass surrealism, pop surrealism, visual culture, media art, digital transformation, transmediality, aesthetic practices.
