Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Maria Sancho Arroyo

Second Advisor

Morgan Falconer

Abstract

Dr. Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s drawings were created for the sole purpose of illustrating his newly discovered and earth-shattering revelations in the field of neuroscience culminating with his magnum opus: the “Neuron theory” and the “Theory of Dynamic Polarization.” For these discoveries and many others, he shared the 1906 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology with his rival Dr. Camilo Golgi, an Italian pathologist. At no time did he envision that his drawings would capture the interest of artists as it did with members of the Surrealism Movement. This thesis will explore and present for the first time supporting evidence that members of the Surrealism Movement, Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali to name a few, met and had conversations with Cajal while others in the group such Andre Breton, Fedrico García Lorca, and Leonora Carrington were well aware of his massive collection of drawings and incorporated his ideas and images into some of their own artwork. This thesis will explore the interconnectivity of two divergent worlds: the scientific world of Dr. Cajal and the artistic world of Surrealism.

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