Surrealist Landscape is a classic example of the artist's work, in which he took natural forms, modified them slightly and then presented them in an unnatural setting, thus making them appear novel and intriguing. This often resulted in appealing, dreamlike landscapes, yet without the threat or sinister undercurrent encountered in the work of other Surrealists. In 1931, Selby-Bigge was afforded his first solo exhibition at the Wertheim Gallery in London. The following year he had his first solo show at the Lefevre Gallery in Paris and, in 1934, he was one of the original exhibitors at the founding Unit One Exhibition. Two of his paintings were then included in the major International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries, 1936.

This painting closely relates to John Selby-Bigge's Wood Forms (1941), now in the collection of the Wolverhampton Art Gallery.