Dadaisme
Within a chaotic world,
disorder alone became the only order.
Let’s ask the muses!
What is the Dadaisme?
Major periods and regions
1916-1920s, Switzerland, etc.
Duchamp
One of the events that gave birth to Dadaism was the First World War. Humanity’s first global war overturned the values that so many people had believed in. Civilization. Reason. Progress. Even views on life and death once supported by religion. “What exactly had we been placing our faith in all this time…?” Dadaism carries within it that confusion and anger toward the age in which it was born.
Point①
An anti-art movement that sought
to destroy existing values
Dechirico
Until then, art had been bound by classical ideals and rigid order. We brought “DISORDER” and “CHANCE” into that world, attempting to destroy the very foundation of those values. Cutting paper apart and pasting it together. Displaying ordinary manufactured objects just as they were. …And yet, even so, the past is not something we can ever fully escape from.
Point②
It began in Switzerland and spread
throughout Europe and America
Duchamp
Dadaism was first born in Zürich, Switzerland. It’s said that the poet Tristan Tzara was the one who gave the movement its name. After that, it spread to places like Berlin and Cologne in Germany, Paris in France, and New York City in America. Back then, everywhere was filled with anxiety and signs of war, so maybe it was only natural for Dadaism to catch on.
Point③
The values of Dadaism were later
inherited by Surrealism
Ernst
The poet André Breton, who had participated in Dadaism, would later go on to found Surrealism. Because of that connection, many artists belonged to both movements. As for me, I was one of the muses involved with both as well. That’s why drawing a strict line between the two can be rather difficult.
This is the Dadaisme piece!
Bicycle Wheel
A bicycle wheel mounted on top of a stool, this work is said to be the first “Readymade” piece created by Marcel Duchamp. By simply combining ordinary manufactured objects, the artist’s emotions and technical skill are reduced to almost nothing. Through works like this, Dadaist artists attempted to express “art beyond one’s own control.”
Artist
Marcel Duchamp
Year
1913
Medium
Metal wheel mounted on painted wood stool
Dimension
129.5cm x 63.5cm x 41.9 cm
Collection
Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA)
Conclusion
"Dadaisme" is...
An art group of nihilistswho sought
to create something
through destruction.