The surrealists, and the modern movement in painting as a whole, seemed to offer a key to the strange postwar world with its threat of nuclear war. The dislocations and ambiguities, in cubism and abstract art as well as the surrealists, reminded me of my childhood in Shanghai.

Summary

This quote suggests that the surrealists and the modern movement in painting can be viewed as a reflection of the strange and unsettling postwar world, particularly due to the impending threat of nuclear war. The disorienting and ambiguous nature of artistic styles like cubism, abstract art, and surrealism resonate with the individual's personal recollection of a similar experience growing up in Shanghai. This implies that these art movements can serve as a visual language to express the anxieties and apprehensions of a tumultuous era.

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