The Surrealist Dimension of the Visual Realm in Bill Brandt's Photography

Inspired by Freud's notion of the unconscious, the surrealist movement was founded by André Breton after World War I in 1924. Since the surrealists put particular emphasis on the dominance of visual faculty over other human senses, they had high regard for photography as an invaluable means of expression that could help reveal the visual unconscious as well as the reflective nature of human thoughts. In view of the fact that disintegration of prevalent norms and presentation of an extraordinary image of the perceived reality is one of the fundamental principles of surrealism, this paper seeks to analyze the visual dimension of the works of Bill Brandt, a well-known photographer of the 20th century, whose surrealist concerns are clearly visible in his close inspection of human body as well as in his attempts at obtaining a reality that is above purely visual elements. Apart from selecting the proper location and time, Brandt proves his thorough understanding of 'the art of seeing' by a full command of surrealist techniques of photography such as the effects of different exposures, unusual distance between the camera and the subject, representation of visible reflections, and iconoclastic framings. Reflecting on the visual structure and extracting the inner themes of this photographer's works and, consequently, deciphering their profound impact on the audience, has forced the researcher to search for a much more original perspective with an implicit reference to his works. this research, the equivalence and contemplative similarity of his works with the thoughts of the Surrealism movement and their dominant action and definite theme have been examined. Although a tangible and close relationship with the original work is a conventional and necessary approach to establish an efficient flow of thought and organize the interpretations, but the lack of access to this possibility and the limitation of referable sources, has caused the scope of analysis and substantive effects of this artist. The result of personal thoughts and based on internal menus, continuous periodic studies and mental archives to be written. Also, there has been a lot of effort to synchronize images with adjacent documentary theories.
The proposed interpretations will be better and deeper understood and the scope of the mentioned references and references will be clearly revealed.The conclusion of the paper is evidence of the fact that Brandt's works result from deep self-examinations of the mind and the unconscious which make possible strange, sophisticated, and heterogeneous readings of reality and simple visual conventions. .this is the ultimate goal of surrealism in perceiving the surrounding environment.