Where did the Magic Realism Movement derive from?
Magic Realism is a form of art that derived from an art style that originated over half a millennium ago by the Florentines and the Flemish. According to De Reyna’s book Magic Realist Painting Techniques, some very notable illustrators and painters of this movement were Harnett, Bierstadt, Eakins, Church, and Eakins (Techniques 7). Magic Realism originally became popular in Latin America and then spread to the United States by the mid 1900s. The art works from this era are closely linked to the surrealism movement because it has surrealism implications mixed with qualities of wonder and illusion. The term was first used by the German critic, Franz Roh, in 1925 to define the works of Post-Expressionist painters. He called it “magic” because it is apparent that it the work isn’t direct reality, but creates an illusion and deep feeling which makes the viewer stare in awe; just as magicians do (Brava).
