Dada Was A Radical And Cynical Artistic Movement - 1555 Words

Dada art was a radical and cynical artistic movement, which arose in reaction to the failings of society that led to the First World War. Dada revolted against the recognized tropes of the art world it sought to escape. It dismantled the image of art as the heightened, unique object by contradicting the established traditions and forms of western art to that time. This essay will discuss four of the ways Dada artists pursued this goal, namely through the use of everyday objects, eliminating meaning and function, the use of chance and a dismissal of art history. This essay will then argue that through these means, Dada artists successfully undermined the solemnity with which the art world regarded itself. Dada’s combination of wit and venomous sarcasm presented to the early 20th century a pointed re-articulation of its own reflection, making apparent the absurdity and meaninglessness Dada artists saw in the modern world. In the face of WWI’s atrocities, and the complex, ego-driven politics that had delivered it to the world, Dada rose as a rebuttal. This essay will conclude with observations of the influence of this short-lived but pervasive polemic on contemporary art practice. In order to understand the means employed by Dada artists, it is important to outline briefly the origins of the Dada movement. Leading to and during WWI, many artists, poets, filmmakers and other creatives fled to neutral Switzerland from across Europe to seek refuge. Zurich, in particular, becameShow MoreRelatedEssay The Avant-Garde Die First2300 Words   |  10 Pagesan error in believing the artist is always ahead of his time, will always be understood in the future, and is a well-intentioned progressive, because it ignores the present actions and consequences of modern art. Henri de Saint-Simon was a leader in socialist thought and advocate of the arts as one of the â€Å"leaders of a new society† along with science and industry (Tate). In 1825, he coined the term â€Å"avant-garde† in reference to art: ‘We artists will serve you as an avant-garde†¦