The dada movement, which lasted from the end of World War I until 1922 was a precursor to surrealism. Surrealist art started to be produced around 1920. Surrealism was influenced by the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. It united the conscious and unconscious minds, often painting dream-like scenes or transposing items into places they shouldn't belong. Some of the best known surrealist artists are Salvador Dali, Man Ray and René Magritte.
Magic realism was an art style that began around 1919 and continued through the '20s and '30s. It started as a reaction to abstract styles such as cubism and expressionism. Magic realist artists focused on a realistic subject matter, but then employed various techniques to make the piece appear unusual, fantastic or dream-like. The style is characterized by paint applied thinly and smoothly, sharp focus and placing near and far objects close together, to skew the idea of perspective.
Art Deco was a style of visual art, but also of design and architecture, which was common between 1920 and 1940. Among the main features of Art Deco were linear symmetry, elegance and modernity. Following the U.S. stock market crash of 1929, American Art Deco became especially streamlined and futuristic, particularly in architecture. Many futuristic looking Art Deco skyscrapers were built in the late '20s and early '30s, such as the Chrysler building in New York.
De stijl literally translates to "the style." It was founded in Holland in 1917 and ran through the 1920s and into the early '30s. It is also known as neo-plasticism. The founders of the movement were Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg. De stijl was an abstract style of modern art, characterized by the exclusive use of horizontal and vertical lines. Neo-plasticists only used primary colors, black and white in their art.