DADADADA

Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich,

Switzerland during World War I and peaked from

1916 to 1922.Literally, the word dada means several

things in several languages: "hobbyhorse" in French, “good-bye” or “get off my back”

in German and "yes yes” in Slavic.

Some authorities say that the name Dada is a nonsensical word chosen at random

from a dictionary.

No

Wa

r

Dada was, officially, not a movement, its artists not artists and its art not

art. Dada was a literary and artistic attitude

born in Europe at a time when the shocking tragedies of World War I were happening in their own lives.

These citizens were furious that the advanced European society would allow

the war to have happened. They were so angry, in fact, that they

undertook the time-honored tradition of protesting.

The Machine Age is a term associated

mostly with the early 20th century.

The Machine Age and WWI

greatly affected the world of art.

Banding together in a loosely-knit group, these writers and artists used any

public forum they could find to

(metaphorically) spit on nationalism,

rationalism, materialism and any other -ism which they felt had contributed to a senseless war.

photo montage by Raoul Hausmann

DaDa’s leading member

was Marcel

Duchamp,

who in 1913

created his first

ready-made:

the "Bicycle Wheel,"

consisting of a

wheel mounted on

the seat

of a stool.

Dada artists typically produced art objects in

different forms produced by

unusual methods.

They often used collage and assemblage of

everyday mechanical objects. “Fountain” (1917) by Frenchman Marcel Duchamp; photograph by Alfred Stieglitz.

As if the mustache and beard weren't enough of a poke at

this most famous of paintings, the letters he penciled —

L.H.O.O.Q. — at the bottom are meaningless in English,

but when read aloud in French means:

"She has a hot “behind”."

Duchamp took this postcard of “the Mona Lisa” and painted a mustache on it.

(he thought, why should an artists

want to contribute time and effort to a society in the face of such

brutality)

“Mechanical Head

“,1919

assemblage:

*mannequin head

*aluminum cup

*brass & cardboard labels

*part of a telescope

*a pipe

*dressmaker's measure

*a watch gear-wheel

*a printing roller,…

Raoul Hausmann

Hausmann used new techniques in many mediums, shocking juxtapositions,

collages, and nonsensical writings.

Also, various abstract art styles developed during the 20th century, as the realm of the real in art was

taken over by photography.

Raoul Hausmann (Austrian)

Max Ernst Germany

“Two Ambiguous Figures”, 1920 (ambiguous - having a double meaning)

“Murdering Airplane”

Dada-like activities were created by American artist/photographer, Man Ray and French artist, Francis Picabia.

Man Ray: “Violin” In the U.S. the

movement was

centered in New

York at famous

photographer,

Alfred Stieglitz's

gallery, “291”.

Portrait of Francis Picabia by Man Ray

“Love Parade” 1917 Francis Picabia

“Hera”

“Madonna”

“Machine Turn Quickly”

Francis Picabia

Man Ray, American (working in France)

“Das Undbild”, 1919 ("The And-Picture")

Kurt Schwitters, German

George Grosz, also a German Expressionist

visu

al

DADA

DADA

AR

T

Patteson

DaDa

Dada had only one rule: Never follow any known rules.

Dada self-destructedwhen it was in danger

of becoming "acceptable".

Oedipus Oedipus RexRex, 1922, 1922

Max Ernst

Dadaism developed into the more popular style of SURREALISM

To be continued ...

Collage can go beyond the two-dimensional format.

A three-dimensional collage is called an assemblage.

ReliefAssemblage

(one-sided) sculpture

Representational

Non-representational

Assemblagesculpture

in the round

viewed from

all angles

Mobile

assemblage

One of the most famous assemblage artists was American

artist, Louise

Nevelson.

Louise Nevelson is known for her

Abstract Expressionist

“crates” grouped together to form a

new creation. She used found

objects or everyday discarded things in her “assemblages”, one of which was three stories high.

"When you put together things that other people have thrown out,

you’re really bringing them to life – a spiritual life that surpasses the life for which

they were originally created."

Nevelson often worked in shallow-relief, and often monochromatically.

Nevelson's work is not easily allied with any one movement, though it has been

variously linked to Cubism, Dada, and Abstract Expressionism.