Masson, Andre, << mah SAWN, ahn DRAY >> (1896-1987), a French painter, was an important member of the Surrealism art movement during the 1920’s. Masson attempted to find the sources of his art in the subconscious, to develop his work independently of rules, and to create works that are spontaneous and unpremeditated. He believed that there are unexplored levels of reality which surpass conventional reality. Masson abandoned conscious artistic intentions in favor of painting by impulse or even by accident. He turned to a technique called automatism. In automatic painting, artists try to let their brushes move freely on the canvas to allow their subconscious mind to create the images.
Masson was born on Jan. 4, 1896, in Balagny-sur-Therain, France, near Paris. Early in his career he was influenced by the Cubist style. By 1924, Masson had become involved with French author Andre Breton, Surrealism’s leader and chief theorist. Masson created his most important Surrealist paintings between 1924 and 1929. After that, he worked in a variety of styles. He lived in Spain from 1934 to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. He moved to the United States after World War II began in 1939. In the United States, Masson exerted a major influence on American Abstract Expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and William Baziotes. Masson returned to France after the end of the war in 1945. He died on Oct. 28, 1987.
See also Surrealism .
