What is Dadaism or Dada Art?
Dadaism, or Dada, is an art movement that grew out of the tragic events surrounding World War I. It was a protest against war and nationalism, as well as a challenge against intellectual conventions. More than a hundred years later, the legacy of Dadaism continues to inform our understanding of art, with its scathing irreverence, its satirization of social mores, and its bold questioning of what constitutes art. Here is an overview of what Dadaism is and how it has changed the face of art forever.
Overview of Dadaism
Dadaism was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1916, when a group of writers, artists, and intellectuals gathered in a local café to react to and protest what they saw as a senseless war. The group rejected traditional forms of expression and instead sought to create something new, beyond the logic and sense of their times. They coined the term “Dada” from the French term for “hobbyhorse,” a nonsensical children’s game, which symbolized the sense of absurdity and irreverence that would become the hallmark of the Dada movement.
The Dada movement was most active in Europe in the early 1920s and eventually spread around the world. It encompassed different forms of expression, from painting to poetry, and its practitioners championed anti-nationalism, championed anti-materialism, opposed against outmoded bourgeois modes of thinking, and deliberately sought out irrationality, ambivalence and chaos.
The Forefathers of Dadaism
The most prominent figures in the Dada movement were Marcel Duchamp, Tristan Tzara, Kurt Schwitters, Hans Richter, and Max Ernst. While there were certainly many more voices among the group, these five had perhaps the greatest impact on the formation of the movement.
Marcel Duchamp’s work was the most influential of the group. He was known for his ready-made sculptures, which famously included a porcelain urinal that he signed with a pseudonym, “R. Mutt.” Duchamp’s influence extended beyond Dadaism and is still felt today, especially in the Pop Art movement.
Tristan Tzara was one of the founding members of the Dada movement. His writing influenced the movement’s focus on anarchistic and anti-materialistic ideas. He was well-known for his “Dada Manifesto” which became the punk equivalent of their day. Today, the “Dada Manifesto” remains an influence in literature, art, and design.
Kurt Schwitters was a German-born artist who lived and worked in both Germany and Norway. He is most well known for his “Merzbau” series, which were structures made of found materials. This body of work became known as “Merz” art and Schwitters used this form of expression to question the accepted order of the time.
Hans Richter was a Swiss painter and filmmaker with a passion for social and political issues. Richter documented the activities of the original Dadaist group with his film “Dada,” and he also showed the film at the first International Dada Fair in Berlin.
Max Ernst was a German-born artist who embraced the concept of automatism. This technique was meant to access the unconscious and required the artist to surrender control of their medium to the chance elements of nature.
The Impact of Dadaism
The influence of Dadaism can be seen in many aspects of culture, from art to literature to music. The movement’s influence can be seen in the works of Warhol and pop icons, in the rebelliousness of punk music, and in the works of authors like Jeanette Winterson and Kurt Vonnegut.
The legacy of Dadaism is also evident in some of the world’s most prominent museums and galleries. Major museums around the world, like the Pompidou Centre, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim, often feature exhibits of Dada works.
Overall, Dadaism’s legacy is one of irreverence and a questioning of authority, particularly when it comes to traditional modes of thinking and creating art. One hundred years later, Dada artists are still inspiring a new generation of artists and thinkers to push boundaries and embrace the fantastic, irrational and ultimately, beautiful elements of life.
Dadaism can be seen as an important bridge between modern art and postmodernism. Its influence is evident all around us, from the works of iconoclastic pop artists to the rebellious spirit of punk music. Its irreverence continues to challenge the accepted order and to question conventional notions of what constitutes art. Its legacy is still being explored by artists, writers and intellectuals around the world, a century after it first appeared.