You've probably seen this picture before haven't you? This painting is called The Son of Man and was painted by Rene Magritte.
Rene Magritte (1898 - 1967) was a Belgian artist well known for his surrealist paintings that highlighted certain aspects of society at that time with the images injected with his own personal wit and his work often garners a thought provoking response with multiple interpretations due to his subtle and simplistic style. Now how does relate to advertising? You may ask?
Advertising has had a history on operating by emulating popular art forms in the case of surrealism it has been quite prominent in an industry where the main focus is on catching the audience's eye and gaining/holding their interest with surrealism offering that in spades. Surrealism in general has been a constant artistic technique added within the visual parts of advertising, mainly with abstract imagery or displacement of object in order to carry the message across.
An Example:
In this ad the image becomes striking in affect due to the switch from a standard human head for that of a fish. The disposition causes the surreal aspect of the piece to become the main focus which in turn offers the meaning and message behind the ad, reinforcing the message by use of the headline.
Rounding off, surrealism as a tool for the art is common practice within the industry as causing shock would later cause interest and attention, one of the most important things an ad should do.
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