What are the two major approaches to Surrealist painting?

Surrealist painting is characterized by a wide range of styles, but it is generally categorized into two major approaches that exist at opposite poles of the movement:1

• Organic, Emblematic, or Absolute Surrealism: This approach focuses on the spontaneous revelation of the unconscious. Artists create images—often biomorphic—that are indefinite and suggestive. The goal is to confront the viewer with provocative forms that allow the imagination to engage in an open-ended, investigative process of unconscious association. Practitioners of this style include Jean Arp, Max Ernst, André Masson, and Joan Miró.1

• Hyper-realistic or Dreamlike Surrealism: This approach presents a world that is minutely detailed and fully recognizable, yet logically inexplicable. Artists take realistically painted objects and place them in paradoxical, shocking, or ambiguous contexts to force the viewer to acknowledge the "sense" of the irrational. This style is exemplified by the works of René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, and Paul Delvaux.1