Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Episode 46: Dada is Da-Dumb

While there are many movements based in deep thought and consideration for each piece, Dada... well it just isn't one of them.

As a reactionary movement after WWI devastated Europe, the Dada artists questioned the very nature of art in their almost nonsensical work. Sometimes, even, it seemed that they put more work into their titles than the work (especially in pieces known as "readymades").

The Fountain by Duchamp
Another Duchamp Readymade

Cut with a Kitchen Knife by Hannah Höch
Hans Arp collage of blue squares



(Ready for a long title???) The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors Even (the large glass) by Duchamp

There are many movements that come after Dada which follow the same line of thought... what is art? Take it or leave it, it's a part of our  art history. What do you think of dada?

1 comment:

  1. The point of the Dada was for their work to be nonsensical. To them logic and reason is what created the war, therefore they wanted to create a medium in which contradiction and irrationality was the focus to get as far away as possible from the evils of logic. And yes, some of their titles do seem to have more effort than their actual works in their pieces but that was the point. It made art less about the craft and more about the ideas and expression behind it.

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