Conclusion

      Most people identified that there is an emotional and subconscious root to personal creativity, although in considering other's work they did not feel that the viewer's or reader's imagination was called upon to a great extent. Very few expressed ideas in line with the philosophy of Surrealism, instead reflected the contemporary view that it is predominantly visual and synonymous with weird or strange. Analyzing both the results of the interviews and the survey confirms that the potency of Surrealism's ideals has been lost in today's society. This could be attributed simply to artistic evolution, but I believe it is primarily due to the commercialization and commodification of artistic expression in general - the increasing importance placed on monetary reward and social recognition. This was especially true in the 1960's with artists such as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, who ironically was an icon for the movement in its early days.
      The onset of the 1970's saw the growth of the advertising industry and an increasing need to grab an audience's attention with unusual visual ideas. The images of Surrealism became perfect fodder for this task, but sadly its philosophy was not acknowledged. In the 1980's there was a great boom in people seeking therapy and an interest in the role of the subconscious in our everyday lives. This might have seemed a perfect opportunity for Surrealism to gain momentum once again. Regrettably, the popularity of psychoanalysis was purely analytical, seeking only to resolve problems, and not as a source of directing creativity.
      Looking at the research and evaluating the results of the interviews and survey brings to light an interesting common thread. While Surrealism as a written philosophy may not be a potent factor in today's creative society, many of its ideas remain in existence. Participants in the survey responded in a very thoughtful way, indicating the existence of the kind of connection to the subconscious that the Surrealists so vehemently promoted. It could well be then that Surrealism was just a word that articulated the creative urge inside us all waiting to break free from conscious criticism, and that it took a group of young revolutionaries in Paris to bring it to light.