DADA
DADA possessed a strongly
SECTION 1 destructive stance, attacking the
DADA civilization which had caused the
war. It was a very strong reaction
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural against the society that resulted in the
movement that began in neutral “ war to end all wars”, the first World
Zürich, Switzerland, during World War.
War I and peaked from 1916 to 1920.
Dada’s anarchic stance included an
Quotation: attack on the language and visual
imagery of that civilization.
“Dada is the groundwork to abstract art
and sound poetry, a starting point for Marcel Janco recalled,
performance art, a prelude to
postmodernism, an influence on pop We had lost confidence in our
art, a celebration of anti-art to be later culture. Everything had to be
demolished. We would begin again
embraced for anarcho-political uses in after the "tabula rasa". At the Cabaret
the 1960s and the movement that laid Voltaire we began by shocking
the foundation for Surrealism.” common sense, public opinion,
education, institutions, museums, good
taste, in short, the whole prevailing
During the time of the First World War, order.
artists began a search for new
"tabula rasa": the mind in its
subject matter, and a way of
hypothetical primary blank or empty
interpreting the Modern World. The state before receiving outside
enormous destruction of World War impressions.
I instilled in people a deep suspicion of
all belief systems (politics, religion, DADA was not a coherent style, but
art). rather a series of individualistic,
anarchic acts that aimed to put the
DADA was an expression of disgust, entire past into question. They are
well known for being anti everything
anxiety and despair in face of a world
even themselves. They are
where “everything works fine, but considered an Anti art movement
people don’t any more” (Hugo Ball). which is very ironic considering the
enormous influence that they have had
Mechanized warfare on such a grand on the art of the Twentieth and Twenty
scale was terrifying, and Dada First Centuries.
questioned the idea of celebrating
The origins of DADA are traced to
“progress”.
1916 and it is significant that Dada
started in Zurich, the dead centre of
1
, the war. Zurich was however, a neutral idea of protest in the movement, Dada
country during WW1. also evoked a strong sense of fun and
play.
The name DADA has many
associations: It is a nonsense name, The leading artist of the DADA
found by means of chance. Hugo Ball movement was Marcel Duchamp.
is said to have leafed through a Duchamp’s artworks are often
French-German dictionary, and came satirical, and he is best known for his
across the children’s word “dada”, “ready-mades” and anti-art stance.
which means hobbyhorse. Indeed, He aimed to show that he rejected the
Dada aimed to be child-like. The idols and ideas of his society.
name DADA could also refer to the Duchamp also mocked technology
“da, da, (yes, yes)” of conversation, as and the way in which art is valued.
well as to a patriarchal order (Dada =
father). Duchamp argued that beauty is a
construct and that without the societal
This randomness and the idea of construct of beauty, anything is
nihilism and chance became central beautiful, However, if this is true, it
tenants of the movement. can equally be argued that nothing is
beautiful. Likewise, if anything can
Nihilism: the rejection of all religious
and moral principles, in the belief that be art, then nothing is art; it can be
life is meaningless. non-art or anti-art. Duchamp forced
the questions, “What is Art?”, Who is
Dada was for the absurd and the an Artist?”, “What makes it Art?”
charm of the illogical. Apart from the
The anti art
movement
embraced all sorts of
nonsense poetry,
performance and
music. The members
of Dada did their
best to disrupt the
conventions of
society. Some well-
known works:
Man Ray, Gift, c. 1921, painted
flatiron and tacks, 15.3 x 9 x
11.4 cm (The Museum of Duchamp, LHOOQ,
Modern Art) 1919
2
DADA possessed a strongly
SECTION 1 destructive stance, attacking the
DADA civilization which had caused the
war. It was a very strong reaction
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural against the society that resulted in the
movement that began in neutral “ war to end all wars”, the first World
Zürich, Switzerland, during World War.
War I and peaked from 1916 to 1920.
Dada’s anarchic stance included an
Quotation: attack on the language and visual
imagery of that civilization.
“Dada is the groundwork to abstract art
and sound poetry, a starting point for Marcel Janco recalled,
performance art, a prelude to
postmodernism, an influence on pop We had lost confidence in our
art, a celebration of anti-art to be later culture. Everything had to be
demolished. We would begin again
embraced for anarcho-political uses in after the "tabula rasa". At the Cabaret
the 1960s and the movement that laid Voltaire we began by shocking
the foundation for Surrealism.” common sense, public opinion,
education, institutions, museums, good
taste, in short, the whole prevailing
During the time of the First World War, order.
artists began a search for new
"tabula rasa": the mind in its
subject matter, and a way of
hypothetical primary blank or empty
interpreting the Modern World. The state before receiving outside
enormous destruction of World War impressions.
I instilled in people a deep suspicion of
all belief systems (politics, religion, DADA was not a coherent style, but
art). rather a series of individualistic,
anarchic acts that aimed to put the
DADA was an expression of disgust, entire past into question. They are
well known for being anti everything
anxiety and despair in face of a world
even themselves. They are
where “everything works fine, but considered an Anti art movement
people don’t any more” (Hugo Ball). which is very ironic considering the
enormous influence that they have had
Mechanized warfare on such a grand on the art of the Twentieth and Twenty
scale was terrifying, and Dada First Centuries.
questioned the idea of celebrating
The origins of DADA are traced to
“progress”.
1916 and it is significant that Dada
started in Zurich, the dead centre of
1
, the war. Zurich was however, a neutral idea of protest in the movement, Dada
country during WW1. also evoked a strong sense of fun and
play.
The name DADA has many
associations: It is a nonsense name, The leading artist of the DADA
found by means of chance. Hugo Ball movement was Marcel Duchamp.
is said to have leafed through a Duchamp’s artworks are often
French-German dictionary, and came satirical, and he is best known for his
across the children’s word “dada”, “ready-mades” and anti-art stance.
which means hobbyhorse. Indeed, He aimed to show that he rejected the
Dada aimed to be child-like. The idols and ideas of his society.
name DADA could also refer to the Duchamp also mocked technology
“da, da, (yes, yes)” of conversation, as and the way in which art is valued.
well as to a patriarchal order (Dada =
father). Duchamp argued that beauty is a
construct and that without the societal
This randomness and the idea of construct of beauty, anything is
nihilism and chance became central beautiful, However, if this is true, it
tenants of the movement. can equally be argued that nothing is
beautiful. Likewise, if anything can
Nihilism: the rejection of all religious
and moral principles, in the belief that be art, then nothing is art; it can be
life is meaningless. non-art or anti-art. Duchamp forced
the questions, “What is Art?”, Who is
Dada was for the absurd and the an Artist?”, “What makes it Art?”
charm of the illogical. Apart from the
The anti art
movement
embraced all sorts of
nonsense poetry,
performance and
music. The members
of Dada did their
best to disrupt the
conventions of
society. Some well-
known works:
Man Ray, Gift, c. 1921, painted
flatiron and tacks, 15.3 x 9 x
11.4 cm (The Museum of Duchamp, LHOOQ,
Modern Art) 1919
2
