Embodiment (Visualization) of Deconstruction: an analysis of deconstructive approaches in Surrealist Images of 20th Century

Deconstruction and Surrealism, despite their different origins, are in accord on their criticism of deterministic approaches; both of them stand against reducing the infinite domain of meanings and interpretations to the determined and contrastive field of “binary oppositions”. Deconstruction challenges the structural contrastivism through its approach towards text and lingual structures, as surrealism does the same by altering the perceptive experiences and elevating the perceived reality. Given the aforementioned similarity in approach, the current research aims to use the reader-response theory to study the approaches of surrealistic art in 20th century (two-dimensional image) from the deconstructive viewpoint. The deconstructive analysis in this research is based on the reversed and disrupted relationship between oppositional components, and the “undecidability” of their final status. The research concludes that by disrupting the conventional relationship among contrastive concepts, wavering the certainties, and questioning the accepted convictions, surrealist images not only deconstruct the used visual system (abstract art and figurative art), but also “embody” (visualize) the deconstructive approach towards our conventional notions about reality.