Artistic Movement: Dadaism and Surrealism (A2.5)

Name: Rajeshvariba Rana
Roll No: 16
Semester: 2 (Batch 2022-24)
Enrolment number: 4069206420220023
Paper No: 110A
Paper name: History of English Literature from 1900 to 2000
Paper code: 22403
Topic: Artistic Movement: Dadaism and Surrealism
Submitted to: Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU
Email Address: rhrana148@gmail.com

Artistic Movement: Dadaism and Surrealism

The study of the avant-garde movements of Dada and Surrealism provides a fresh take on their ongoing impact on contemporary art. He delves into the many debates that surround these movements, from the deification of the Marquis de Sade in Surrealism to issues of quality and the use of the "readymade." Hopkins also examines the international scope of these movements, highlighting their presence in cities like Zurich, New York, and Paris, as well as their varied use of media, such as collage, painting, and film. Throughout the book, Hopkins compares and contrasts the aesthetics of Dada and Surrealism, exploring their respective preoccupations with the body-as-mechanism and the eroticized body. The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press offers readers a concise and accessible way to engage with complex subjects.

Dadaism:

Art covers virtually everything about the world, both living and nonliving. Above all, it is the means of expressing one’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings or perceptions through creative prowess or skill exhibited in painting, writing, music, dancing and even communication.

Origin of Dadaism :

The term “dada” was invented by the Roman writer, Tristan Tzara (1896–1963) at Hugo Ball’s Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich, during one of the meetings held by a group of artists in 1916.

“Dada” is a colloquial French word which means “hobby-horse."

Dadaism as a movement began during the early hours of the 1910s.

Artists of this movement through their works ridiculed the meaningless and baselessness of the modern world. Due to the “controversial” nature of Dadaism, it was seen as an art movement that is against the standard and norms that society stands for.

One major factor that facilitated the start of Dadaism was World War 1 between 1914 – 1918.

The first World War cost the lives of millions of people, with millions wounded. The traumatic effect of the first World War is the loss of reality by Europe as stated in the words of Dickerman: “World War I produced a collapse of confidence in the rhetoric—if not the principles—of the culture of rationality that had prevailed in Europe since the Enlightenment.” This loss of reality gave way to confusion.

What is Dadaism:

To simply put, Dadaism is an art form. It is an art movement. The definition of Dadaism revolves around the incidents that occurred during its origin. It is a movement because it is an art form spearheaded and adopted by a group of artists with a similar philosophy and style at a particular period.

Every art movement has a focus. Dadaism is not an exception.

As a movement, Dadaism opposes the surge or the uprising of capitalism.

“When the artist finds himself he is lost. The fact that he has succeeded in never finding himself is regarded by Max Ernst as his only lasting achievement”. – Max Ernst

Key Ideas of Dadaism :

Dadaism, as a movement, has three basic ideas – Spontaneity, Negation, and Absurdity.

These three ideas express Dadaism as an art that is creatively anarchical.

SPONTANEITY :

This idea is of the view that art will be meaningful and worthwhile if and only if it is spontaneous. Therefore, it emphasises on the keen relationship that must exist between an artist and his works.

The beauty of an artwork is not something to be judged by the system, rather, it is a subjective judgement of the artist. This is why, Tristran Tzara even wrote that literature is never beautiful because beauty itself is dead.

Hence, beauty should be left as a private affair to the artist.

Spontaneity makes appeal largely to the concept of individuality. Spontaneity is Creativity.

NEGATION :

This idea aims at contrasting or negating art conventions and establishment through the spread of demoralisation. Thus, the idea sees no line of difference between the moral standard of goodness or badness.

Good is in no way different from bad. It sees everything with one view: as being irrelevant. Nothing is relevant. Even man is of no importance. This idea sees the relevance of everything as being imaginary and unreal.

ABSURDITY :

This is perhaps the best idea that captures the framework of Dadaism.

Dadaists employed absurdity as a weapon to attack elites who were perceived to support the war.

Several factors influenced the start of Dadaism. Concepts such as expressionism and futurism are some of these factors.

DADA ARTISTS :

Dada artists are especially known for their use of ” readymade.”

“Readymade” is the artistic manipulation of normal everyday objects by the artist and then presented as art.

Ready-made triggered questions pertaining to the creation of art, its meaning, what it stands for and its relevance in the society. Furthermore, Dadaism paved the way for the ushering in of Surrealism, another modern art movement.

There are many important Dada artists. who have articulated the definition of Dadaism. Some of them are:

1) Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1968). His readymades included a humorous and cheap reproduction of Mona Lisa with a moustache and goatee, the fountain and a bottle rack.

2) Tristan Tzara (1896–1963, a poet, painter and performer artist.)

3) Marcel Janco (1895 -1984, his ready-made was “bishop dress.”)

4) Hugo Ball (1886 -1947, his readymades were “Karawane,” and the “Dada manifesto”)

5) Emmy Hennings (1885 -1948, his readymades were “itinerant poet” and “cabaret chanteuse").

FIVE TOP DADAISM WORKS :

FOUNTAIN:

  

This art piece was produced by Marcel Duchamp in 1917. Many Historians affirm it to be an iconic symbol of twentieth-century art.

   

LHOOQ :

This art piece was also produced by Marcel. It is a ready-made reproduction of Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa.” Marcel added a moustache to the portrait and inscribed the title “LHOOQ.”

THE SPIRIT OF OUR TIME :

A Dada art piece produced by Raoul Hausmann, a German artist.

UNTITLED (SQUARES ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF CHANCE, 1917)

The Untitled Dada art was produced by Jeans (Han) Arp in 1917.

THROUGH THE LAST WEIMAR BEER BELLY CULTURAL EPOCH OF GERMANY (1919).

A Dada artwork produced by a German woman named Hannah Höch. It is considered one of the greatest works in Dada arts.

THE RISE OF NEO-DADAISM:

Dadaism as art, despite its seeming offensive and artless nature, is funny and humorous. It spread to many other parts of Europe after its start in Zurich.

Although, it eventually declined at some point, because right from the onset, it was obvious that it cannot hold on for long.

However, Dadaism opened the door for a new concept in modern art. This new concept is Neo-Dadaism. It is a “new” form of Dadaism.

Neo-Dadaism is an art movement with artistic manifestations with audio, visual and literary concepts. It has strong ties with Dadaism. It shares similar thought, method, intent, and technique with artworks in Dadaism. Its aim is to bridge the gap that exists between art and daily experiences. Neo-dada employs the use of materials that are modern and also absurdist in contrast.

Neo-Dadaism takes its lead largely from the works of Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters. It totally denies the traditional conceptions of aesthetics.

Dadaism – A Living Art

Dadaism is an artwork that outlives its time.

Its relevance can still be felt in the world of art, especially the internet. Memes that are used as communication cues stem from dadaism. Fashion is not left out. Dadaism has its touch there.

In music, literature, sculpture, painting and even technology, Dadaism still thrives and lives on. Despite its seemingly meaningless state, it found a way of nesting itself in the hearts of people.

This shows the power and awe that Dadaism carries. Undoubtedly, Dadaism is not just an art, but it is an art with a soul, a living art.

Surrealism:

The poet Guilliame Apollinaire first coined the term “Surreal” in reference to the idea of an independent reality, existing “beneath” our conscious reality.

But the Surrealist movement initially surfaced in 1924 when French poet André Breton published his “Manifesto of Surrealism,” influenced by the theories and writings on the unconscious mind by psychologist Sigmund Freud, the groundbreaking studies of Carl Jung, and the early 20th-century Dada movement.

While Surrealism started as a literary movement in the prose and poetry of Breton and others, visual artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Pablo Picasso, Francis Picabia, and Marcel Duchamp embraced Surrealism and were recognized in Breton’s 1925 publication, “La Révolution Surréaliste.”

Image: Minotaure Aveugle Guidé par une fillette, I” (1934). Etching from Picasso’s Vollard Suite.

Man Ray, Observatory Time—The Lovers, 1932-34/1970, coloured lithograph after an oil on canvas, 68 × 104 cm (dimensions of original painting shown by Barr, now lost:99 × 251.5 cm). Collection Clo and Marcel Fleiss, Paris.

Soichi Sunami, installation view of “Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism.” Showing, left to right: The Surrealist Poets Paul Éluard, André Breton, Tristan Tzara, René Crevel, Benjamin Péret, René Char by Valentine Hugo, 1935; Puzzle of Autumn by Salvador Dalí, 1935; Daily Torments by Richard Oelze, 1934; and Observatory Time—The Lovers by Man Ray, 1932–34 (top centre). New York, The Museum of Modern Art Archives.

"Intelligent and exact, should be studied by everyone who seeks enlightenment about the contemporary mind." Intelligent and exact, this book should be studied by everyone who seeks enlightenment about the contemporary mind. Like it or not, surrealism cannot be ignored in an overview of 20th-century thought.

Conclusion:

Dadaism and Surrealism were two avant-garde art movements that emerged in Europe in the early 20th century.

Dadaism was a reaction against the established art traditions and societal norms of the time, characterised by its anarchic and irrational nature. Its artists sought to challenge the meaning and value of art itself, often using nonsensical and absurdist techniques to create works that were deliberately shocking and provocative.

Surrealism, on the other hand, was a more focused and intentional movement that sought to explore the realm of the unconscious mind and the power of the imagination. Its artists sought to express the irrational and illogical aspects of the human psyche, often using dreamlike imagery and symbolism to create works that were both visually stunning and psychologically evocative.

Both Dadaism and Surrealism were united in their rejection of traditional artistic and cultural values, as well as their embrace of experimentation, individualism, and freedom of expression. They have had a profound influence on the development of modern and contemporary art, inspiring generations of artists to push the boundaries of what is considered art and what is possible in the creative process.

(Words 1721; Images 08)

Works Cited

Helmreich, Anne L., et al., editors. Networking Surrealism in the USA: Agents, Artists, and the Market. arthistoricum.net, 2019. Accessed 31 March 2023.

Hopkins, David. Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford, 2004.

Nadeau, Maurice. The History of Surrealism. Translated by Richard Howard, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1989.