This essay examines the origins of the unconventional Dada art movement. These pioneers of the avant-garde thrived for a few short years after World War I before splintering into several groups in the early 1920s.
Abstract The Dada art movement was about using protest, confrontation and chaos in the arts as a way to change an unjust society recovering from the horrors of World War I. By explaining the origins of the Dadas and looking at their most famous sculpture, "The Spirit of Our Time", this essay explains how the Dada artists were making direct challenges to modern culture and technology long before it was fashionable.
From the Paper "By the late 19th century machine technology was everywhere, available to millions, and part of humanity's daily existence. The products of machines, such as giant structures and trains, planes, and automobiles, were infinitely more "useful" to people than traditional art had ever been. Some artists became envious of scientists and wanted to match their achievements, and some scientists wanted to be thought of as artists."
Abstract This paper presents a discussion on the Dada manifesto by Tzara Tristan in 1918. The author of this paper discusses the general purpose of the Dada manifesto as well as analyzes what various parts of it may mean to the readers. It also summarizes the possible thoughts and meaning of the author of the manifesto as well.
Abstract This paper explains that the Dada movement, whether a painting, book or treatise, was intended to make the viewer think, to reconsider every one of his or her opinions, to break through the old boundaries and begin to look at the world in a new way. The author points out that Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain", an ordinary urinal, was his manifesto about the society for which the "artwork" had been made because, in this still nearly-Victorian age, Duchamp committed the unpardonable sin of making public that which should never even be mentioned. The paper relates that Francis Picabia's "painting" "Sainte Vierge" or "Holy Virgin", which is no easier to identify with than Duchamp's "Fountain", is an inkblot; the importance of which is the viewer's initial reaction to this Dada art. The paper includes several long quotations.
From the Paper "Whether in New York or Europe, Dada was a "movement" of the avant-garde. In order to understand the Dada, one must look into the conditions that gave it form and substance. The First World War was only an immediate cause - it was the spark that caused people like Duchamp and Picabia to search for a radically new form of expression. But Dada was more than paintings. Drama and literature could as much be expressions of Dada as any of Duchamp's or Picabia's works. By the time, Duchamp and Picabia had begun, independently, to create the style that would become Dada; the avant-garde had already established itself as a synthesis of the radical and the rebellious."
Abstract This paper is a short history of the Dada and Surrealist Movements within Europe from the First world to the Second World War. A history of its artists and motivations are included with the text for an illumination of their perspective.
Abstract This paper describes Dadaism and Surrealism, and the integration of the two known as the Dada Surrealist Movement. The writer explains how these movements arose during the World Wars and that the combined movement effectively demonstrated in various media of the visual arts and writing the end of "civilization" as it was manifest until the World Wars. The writer also discusses what is meant by the concept of "chance" in art, and how chance was viewed by Dada artists as minimally controlled randomness, and by the surrealists as a way to access the unconscious and let it merge with the conscious in order to create the superior reality it so revered. The writer concludes that in both art movements, chance therefore played an integral role in the emergence of their respective philosophies.
Outline:
Introduction
Chance in Dadaism
Surrealism
The Element of Chance
From the Paper "According to Harden, the Dada and Surrealist movements integrated to such an extent that they became known as the Dada Surrealist Movement. The initial aims of the Movement were far removed from the world of art, and were primarily political in nature. Being a response to the World Wars of the time, the Dada Surrealist Movement aimed to overthrow all that viewed itself as "civilized" . Indeed, this aim was focused primarily on art and the role its interpretation played in the civilized world. Ironically then, first Dada and then Surrealism sought a complete separation of art and its influences as it existed at the time. This can be seen as ironic, as both Dada and Surrealism are seen as recognized art forms today, with its influences and trappings for the contemporary artist; the very paradigm Dada Surrealism wished to overthrow."
Tags: beauty reality culture icon ideal freedom, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, paradigm political
Abstract The paper examines the life of Helmut Herzfeld, who changed his name to John Heartfield as a pro-British statement during the Nazi period. The paper analyzes his works, including his technique of photo-montage. The paper further describes how he was pursued by the Nazis and escaped to Prague and later to London. The paper further describes his winning of the German peace prize.
From the Paper "Born to a writer, Franz Heartfield, John lost his parents in 1898. His mother was a trade union activist and a textile worker. In 1896, the Heartfields were forced to run away from Germany and hence went to Switzerland. John was enrolled in a school but he soon left it at the age of fourteen and ended up working for a bookseller in Weisbadenl. During 1907, John Heartfield became an assistant to the famous painter Wieland Herzfelde. About a couple of years later after becoming interested in arts, John Heartfield enrolled into the Munich College of Arts and Crafts. In 1912 John Heartfield started working as a commercial artist in Mannheim till 1913 when he moved to Berlin where his teacher was Ernst Neuman at the Arts and Crafts school in Charlottenburg."
Abstract This paper discusses how WWI greatly affected the direction of art in the United States and Europe. It looks at how, through isolating and merging different regions, artistic movements were both born and terminated as a result of warring, allied forces, and personal trauma. The paper examines how Futurism, Fauvism, Cubism, Vorticism, and German Expressionism were active when WWI began and examines the development of both European and American Modernism with such styles as Harlem Renaissance and other Postwar movements in Europe such as De Stijl, Bauhaus, Constructivism, Purism, New Objectivism, Dada, and Surrealism. The paper also contains images and pictures.
From the Paper "The shift of the art world capital from Paris to New York City had begun towards the end of WWI. Although many European artists fought in the war first-hand, "No American modernist painter saw the carnage of WWI first-hand, nor did any American artist record feeling in its aftermath. " America became aware of its dependence on Europe after WWI and gained a new sense of independence through forging the Allied victory. In postwar America, subject matter was rooted a newfound nationalism and self-identification as a country. Pride in technology and innovation added to a new nationalist spirit, led to the American movements of Regionalism and Precisionism. Regionalism included distinctly American scenes such as Grant Wood's American Gothic (image 4). The Precisionists possessed a faith in American industry and stability after America proved itself in war. The movement included Charles Sheeler (image 5) and Charles Demuth (image 6). Their works emphasize a new alienation and isolation in being uniquely American. "
This essay looks at the world of art in motion-kinetic arts, and how it is becoming increasingly popular for artists interested in using technology in their work.
1,410 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 6 sources, 2001, $ 46.95
Abstract This paper presents an overview of kinetic art, motion in art, and its history. In addition, the author argues that the artists are responding to technology and continuing to evolve as they learn to use technology in their favor. The paper focuses on sculpture.
From the Paper "While most of us love the look of a wind chime or the way a mobile twirls over the crib of a baby, we don?t understand that it is a form of artwork. When we think about art we usually think about paintings on canvas, a still photograph or other types of works. Rarely do we realize that anything that is created and has movement is also art, and it is called kinetic art. Kinetic art is not a new concept but it has enjoyed recent popularity as artists around the world are being put on display. Its history and its allure are no longer a mystery and we can enjoy the movement in the open today. Kinetic art can be defined by the term kinetic meaning related to or produced by motion."
From the Paper "Critics refer often to literary movements, citing different movements that have developed in literature and then been replaced by some other movement. Generally, the term is not defined, and instead it is simply assumed that everyone is talking about the same thing when the term is used. ... offers a definition that is too simple to be more than a beginning: "A term commonly applied to a trend or development in literature". ... definition contains the necessary elements, but they are not fully explained. The important word in his definition is "trend" rather than "development," for the latter is too unspecific and could refer to a literary device or idea used by one writer. A literary movement must be a trend, meaning that it is subscribed to by a number of writers who make use of the ideas and techniques that ... "
Abstract The paper discusses the origins of the Futurist Movement whose art-work reflected the energy and the changes of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. It shows how Norwegian Impressionist artist, Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - which relayed a message of total dread and horror that comes from trying to realize the preciousness of life in a world of carnage - laid the groundwork for the movement's message. The paper examines the work of others who identified with this movement, such as writer Filippo Marinetti and artist Marcel Duchamp. The paper also touches on the Dadaism movement which orginated from refugees from WWI Germany and explores the works of several Dadaists, such as artist Jean Arp and historian Hans Richter.
From the Paper "While Dadaism had movements all over the world, it was birthed from refugees of World War I in Zurich. The dehumanizing impact of the industrial age moved into the realm of the absurd during the Great War. No one in Germany escaped the horror of that bloody war unscathed. It was like a self-inflicted plague, not altogether unlike tuberculosis or any other disease, only making less sense. During that war was the first time that the modern implements of fighting came into use on the battlefield, and the soldier in the trenches achieved a new level of insignificance. They became canon fodder, with death often time coming from hidden mines, distant snipers, from big guns and airplanes that could only be heard and not seen. The carnage of the war and the desperation that followed clearly marked the souls of these artists. Painting landscapes made no sense in that context."
Abstract This paper will discuss the ideas of Russian futurism that was so prevalent in the Russia at the beginning, and the middle of the 20th century. By realizing the contributions of some of its authors, a look at the language of Zuam will be analyzed, as well the literature that so powerful in setting this example for Russian culture. By arguing for a lapse in the final stages of a Russian utopia, we can see how this artistic was a valued one, but held secondary to the Dada Movement and other radical elements in the time that held greater sway in their influence.
Abstract This paper emphasizes the history of the Dada movement and its effects on Surrealism, with an emphasis on photography. The paper explores artists such as Max Ernst, Miller, Man Ray, and Salvador Dali and looks at ways in which they used photography in their artwork. The paper also examines the different techniques of photography and its effect on 21st century art.
From the Paper "In the years after World War I, both Dadaists and Surrealists made wide use of photographs as a source of visual ideas and as a physical component in collages. But even then photo-collages were not new, other artist had used them in the 19th century. However, the first photo-collages which were clearly used for serious artistic purposes were assembled by members of the various Dada groups that were formed in Switzerland and Germany during World War I."
Abstract This paper discusses the life and works of one of the most important artists in the 20th century, Salvador Dali. The paper examines the influence Dali had in the art world. The paper contends that his work was highly influenced by the Surrealist and Dada movements, and his spectacular appearance, with a large waxed moustache and big eyes, helped him become even more memorable to the world. The paper explores Dali's theories on art and science that changed the way many people viewed art and artistic pursuit.
From the Paper "Salvador Dali was born in Figueres, Spain, located in the Catalonia district, on May 11, 1904. He had a younger sister, and his father, also called Salvador, was a notary. He attended a private school operated by the Brothers of the Marist Order in his hometown, and was an average student. In 1916, on vacation, he viewed his first modern paintings, and remembered the experience, because he began to study drawing with a teacher in Figueres after he returned home. By 1918, he enjoyed two small exhibitions of his work in his hometown, and began to explore other modern painting techniques such as impressionism and pointillism. During this time, Dali also dabbled in writing. He published an article in a college magazine and wrote poetry. This indicates how multi-faceted the artist was. This would show up later in his career when he continued to experiment with many different art forms, and even tried his hand at filmmaking. He also began to publish an unconventional newspaper for his fans later in his life."
Abstract This paper explains that, in 1907, Georges Braque, who initially was greatly influenced by Henri Matisse, with his friend Pablo Picasso, rediscovered Paul Cezanne, the originator of the Cubist movement. Braque's style went through a radical transformation. The author points out that, within a three year period, Picasso and Braque invented Analytic Cubism, a new, completely non-illusionistic and non-imitative method of depicting the visual world; the collaboration between Braque and Picasso was so close and intense that often only experts can distinguish Braque's painting of 1910 -1912 from those of Picasso. The paper relates that Cubism, which survived in its purest form until the mid-1920s, had an impact on the art world that extended far beyond the existence of the painting style itself and paved the way for several other art revolutions, including Dada and surrealism.
From the Paper "From 1917 to 1920, Georges Braque's works are derived compositionally from Synthetic Cubism, which is the second phase of Cubism and began around 1914. These paintings were much flatter and more "variegated in color," and included "brightly dotted decorative passages." Sometime around 1930, Braque moved to the coast of Normandy in France, and as a result, the subject of this paintings changed, and now included bathers, beach scenes, and seascapes as his favorite themes, while stylistically, he "became increasingly interested in ornamentation and patterned surfaces." By the early 1940's, Braque was concerned with melancholy themes, and from 1945, birds became a dominant subject. And then by the 1950's, Braque had returned to the brilliant colors of the Fauve period, "as in the Louvre ceiling, 1952-53, and the decoration for the villa at Saint Paul-de-Vence, 1954." Georges Braque remained active until the end of his life, and his work includes sculpture, graphics, book illustration and decorative art."
