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The early surrealists such as Dali, Arp, Ernst and Magritte, were deeply interested in the theories concerning the unconscious and dreams as explained by Sigmund Freud. The art movement began in the 1920s and in his first manifesto of surrealism, 1924 Andre Breton explained surrealism as, ‘Pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express the real processes of thought.’ The surrealists aimed to reach a reality beyond perceptual rationality, a signature element of their work being the adjacency of objects that appeared unrelated. The aim of the surrealism was to evoke the realization of forgotten connections in the observer’s mind. The idea of bypassing logic or reason was the basic philosophy of the surrealist movement, and it came about as the result of artists’ bitter feelings about the futility of war with its violence and dislocation.

  
       
     

In Pakistan, Mansoor Saleem is perhaps the only artist who has explored and referenced the style of painting known as surrealism. In his recent exhibition, Mansoor had exhibited a number of works that held a personal meaning for him, such as the painting commemorating his visit to Jamil Naqsh when he showed the senior artist his work. It was composed on a ‘floor level.’ One saw a low table with Mansoor’s work spread out in front of Naqsh whose hand and knees alone were seen from the edge of the table. On the border of the work, Mansoor was present in the form of his foot entering the frame. Another stunning work consists of brilliantly coloured pillars in a composition rife with symbolism. There are paintings of unexpectedly juxtapositioned objects, fascinating images to be studied and considered. He is a unique artist who eschewed painting for a market years ago as a young artist, when he was much in demand by collectors, wishing to acquire the detailed studies he had painted of architectural interest.

 
       
     

Mansoor trod his own path, evolving a unique personal language. In an explanation of his work the artist who is at heart a scholar says, “The word ‘gravity’ is a symbol of reality that exists. Similarly E=mc2 is a combination of symbols trying to express some reality. In a similar fashion my depiction of flashes (kashf) should be conceived as equations in a language that nature employs…”