Following the aftermath of the First Great War, which had plagued European society for four long and brutal years, many were left to question the purpose of their existence. Stemming from the monstrously high number of casualties during the war, the atmosphere led those who survived to question how reason and logic could have triggered the conflict. A sense of alienation was aroused in many people who found it difficult to re-enter a society that had not only permitted but prolonged such a catastrophe. As society adapted to the war, so did artists and their respective movements. One such movement formed during the tumultuous years was reacting to the growing fears of war called Dada. It is from the Central European Dada movement that we see a major influence on the future Surrealist movement. In Dada we find the Surrealists' motivation and interest in the ideas of chance and the irrational. The Dadaist attempted to challenge traditional aesthetics. In the fundamental definition of surrealism we recognize the Dadaist influence of the unaesthetic, in which shocks were emphasized with juxtapositions of ordinary objects in unnatural circumstances. Among the many exponents of surrealism, Sigmund Freud's work on the unconscious during the first half of the 20th century became one of the movement's major themes. There is no better example to serve this definition of surrealism, other than Salvador Dali, than the work of Rene Magritte. Rene Magritte was born on 21 November 1898 in Lessines, Brussels. Tragedy struck René early in his life, his mother had attempted to commit suicide several times forcing his father to lock her in a room until one day she disappeared. A few days passed until the family found her drowned in... middle of paper... an artist influenced, but it might be the best example of how they were influenced by René Magritte. Starting with Andy Warhol, some of his most popular works came from common objects: a can of Campbell's tomato soup and dollar bills. Robert Gober also chose the most common objects such as sinks and doors for his subjects. The legacy left in the wake of Rene Magritte's work highlights years of reinterpretation of the cliché by creating illusions of reality. Indeed he took the common to create the sublime, which may be his greatest achievement and legacy to the development of modern art. Works Cited Allmer, P, & Magritte, R. (2010). René Magritte: beyond painting. University of Manchester Professor Sylverster, D. (1995). Magritte. London: Thames & Hudson Limited.Rene Magritte. (2002, November 7). Retrieved from http://www.famouspainter.com/magritte.htm