Dadaism

(Since 1915)
 Dadaism beginnings
* Dadaism is a movement in visual arts, literature, theatre and dance; that
appeared during the start of World War I (1915-1917).
* The Dadaists convicted the European culture which prevailed in that time; and
attacked its ethical and social systems, as well as its educational institutions,
museums, arts and public taste.
* The Dadaists more severely criticized the Bourgeoisie class; as they considered
them to had paved for war and encouraged its outbreak.
* Due to the neutral state of Switzerland and its nonparticipation in the war; a
group of intellectuals from all of Europe had toke refuge in it, to stay away from
the horrors of war.
* Among those were: Vladimir Linen, the Romanian poet Tristan Tzara and artist
Jean Arp.
* The Dadaists established what is called “Cabaret Voltaire”; noting that the
meaning of “cabaret” here is completely different from what is known in
Egypt.
* Cabaret Voltaire included three different activities: a literature forum, a
small theatre and an art gallery.
* The word “Dada” was randomly chosen, as the artists gathered to choose a
name for their movement, so they opened a “Larousse” French-German
dictionary and the first word they saw was “DADA”; which literally means a
“hobby horse”; but the poet Tzara; who was the main philosopher of the
movement; said that this word means “Yes … Yes ..” in Romanian.
* From the above; we comprehend that the word “Dada” itself has no
indicative connection with the philosophy of the movement; although it
refers to the coincidence and irrational manner, which is one of the most
important characteristics of “Dada”.
Dada in Paris
* Parisian Dada had included artists such as Breton, Aragon and Soupault; who
were the most important Dadaists in Paris.
* The Dada Salon was opened in Paris in June 1920; and the most dominant
tendency was the literature trend (poetry, novel and prose).
* The Parisian group was dissolved in 1924, due to the disputes that emerged
from the differences and contradictions between the group’s artists, that
couldn’t be solved.

Dada in Berlin
* Richard Huelsenbeck established the Berlin Group in 1917, and held the first
international Dada Fair in 1920; which organized a large gallery which topics
included irony of both the German army and the bourgeoisie class, through
cartoon drawings (caricature) for artist George Grosz.
* Berlin was known at that time as the “capital of collage”, due to the prosperity
of this technique among its Dada artists.
* The Berlin group dissolved in 1922.
Cologne group
* It was led by Jean Arp (after her retuned from Zurich) and Max Ernst; and it
was more important than the Berlin group.
* The Cologne group held a Dada exhibition in 1920, which was closed
immediately by the police; this incident is considered a scandal according
to the standards of the history of art, i.e. closing an art gallery by the
police was not expected and was considered against freedom and culture.

Hanover group
* It was under the leadership of the poet and conceptual artist Kurt
Schwitters, who was famous of using the collage technique in his painting;
and published his work in “Merz” newspaper that expressed the ideas and
opinions of the Hanover group.
New York Group
* The New York group appeared at the same time of Dada appearance in
Zurich.
* The New York group included: Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Louis Arensberg
and Francis Picabia; who was of Spanish origins; he arrived to New York in
1915, then went back to his homeland Barcelona in Spain in 1916, where
he published what was known as “Dada periodical 391”, which expressed
the Dadaism ideas.
Dadaism intellectual content
Dada is an art movement that prospered between 1915 and 1922; it was a •
political, literature and theatrical international movement that sought for
liberation from the common traditions.
Dadaism borrowed the collage technique from the cubism art; added more •
values to it and well developed it.
Dadaism announced its manifesto; which was written by “Tzara”; in 1917 •
and the most important point in it was that the Dada follows the method of
“destruction” for all that was inherited and familiar, also; its stated objective
was “to kill art”.
Dadaism thought that its success come from following the same methods •
that was used by the authorities and had led to war, which were savagery,
violence, contradiction, irony and deception, in addition to the spirit of
humor and joking.
Dadaism aimed to uncover the social and political systems that had led to •
war; and to prove their failure and futility.
Continue: Dadaism intellectual content
The Dadaism concept focused on; not the artistic work or its timeless •
values; but on the suspicion and revulsion at the relevance of what
existed, objection and self liberation “we had lost confidence in our
culture, everything must be demolished, we would begin again”.
Dada was an intellectual revolution against false customary and •
traditions; and a violent attack on the fake cultural façade that was
beautified with deception and cheat.
Dada didn’t aim to establish a specific artistic style or pattern; it aimed to •
refuse the traditional matters and create an impact on the viewer or
listener that resounds in their mind.
Dada is considered to be an “idea”, a “state of mind” or a “spirit of an •
era”.
Dada had a well known rule; “don’t follow any known rule”. •
“Art is cursed … art needs an operation … art is free-for-all … art is a •
hysteria born inside the atelier” Tzara.
Continue: Dadaism intellectual content
Dadaism borrowed elements from previous art movements; and among •
the most important movements that had affected Dada are: futurism,
cubism and expressionism.
Some Russian art movement had affected Dadaism in regards of •
techniques and ideas; such as using montage in writing and montage of
photographs.
Tzara drew a picture of a “monkey” and wrote “Cezanne” on it, by doing •
this; he was demolishing the paganism and deification of an individual in
an implied manner, considering that the renown of Cezanne had stopped
the sources of thinking and creativity for a whole generation. So; by
mocking Cezanne he was trying to underestimate the artists’ worship of
him, and implicitly call for a wave of liberation away from this prison.
The characteristics of Dada art works
New styles have emerged in Dadaism, especially for true artists whose •
works was distinct with individualism, immense simplicity and pure form.
While Jean Arp extremely utilized collage and carving sculpture in his •
work, Marcel Duchamp began his works under the influence of cubism;
Dadaism artists; especially Marcel Duchamp; used the “readymades” •
method, his work piece “fountain”; which was completed in 1917; is one
of his earliest productions in this field, in which he used a porcelain urinal.
Picabia paid special attention to exhibit special aesthetics in his work •
pieces, especially in those which are known as “mechanical portraits” that
he produced between 1917 and 1918, which portrayed machines as
malfunctioned.
Continue: The characteristics of Dada art works

Dadaism has developed the typography methods (graphical writing and •

design methods) and new unfamiliar methods appeared; such as the
diversity of text direction (vertical – diagonal) in the same work piece; this
is clear in the brochures, flyers and magazines published by Dadaism
movement.
Dada developed the collage technique; which it had borrowed from •
cubism; it used many various materials in it.
Dadaism may have found itself in this technique by experimenting all of its •
potentials. Thus; the collage technique in Dadaism had reached a level
that was never reached in any art movement, before or after Dadaism.
Spontaneous and coincidence methods were followed a lot in the •
formulating of artistic works of Dada; as done in theatre and poetry.
The role of Dadaism in modern art history
Although Dadaists announced that they didn’t aim to create art; but to •
demolish it instead; and although Dadaism was connected with a specific
historical event; World War I; yet, it managed to achieve many outcomes
for the modern art, such as:
- Boldness in using all materials; constructivism has specifically benefited a •
lot from this tendency.
- Dadaism is considered to be the legal parent and innate founder of •
surrealism, to the extent that most surrealists originally began as Dadaists.
- Dadaism is the first art movement that drew attention to the possibility •
of using readymade objects in art; which led to the emerge of the mass
“art of pop”, “the art of existent”, “the art of earth”, “the art of object and
assemblage” … etc.
- Dadaism developed the collage technique; which was originated by the •
cubism; and delivered it to an advanced level by revealing its unlimited
possibilities, thus; it was more effectively spread out.
- Dadaism embedded the photomontage technique; which was originated •
in Russia; and this technique has become a favorite for many artists
through Dadaism.
Neo-Dada
In 2002; a group of artists emerged in Zurich and called themselves •
the “Neo-Dadaists”.
This movement was led by Mark Divo and its followers include: •
Lennie Lee and Dan Jones.
The Neo-Dadaists are based in the same old Dadaism headquarter; •
“Cabaret Voltaire” in Zurich.
Louis Aragon
Jean Arp
Johannes Baader
Johannes Theodor Baargeld
List of Dada-Artists
Hugo Ball
Erwin Blumenfeld
Andre Breton Hannah Hoch
Serge Charchoune Richard Huelsenbeck
Jean Crotti Georges Hugnet
Theo van Doesburg Marcel Janco
Nelly van Doesburg Ray Johnson
Marcel Duchamp Francis Picabia
Suzanne Duchamp - Crotti Man Ray
Viking Eggeling Hans Richter
Paul Eluard Thijs Rinsema
Max Ernst Christian Schad
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven Morton Schamberg
George Grosz Kurt Schwitters
Raoul Hausmann Philippe Soupault
John Heartfield Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Emmy Hennings Tristan Tzara
Wieland Herzfelde
Dada
Marcel Duchamp
Nude Descending a
Staircase (1913)
Dada
du champ
ready made – bicycle
wheel
Dada
Duchamp
Fountain (Urinario)
Dada

Duchamp
Fountain (Urinario)
Dada
Marcel Duchamp
Mona Lisa with a Moustache
When Duchamp drew the “Mona Lisa”
with a mustache, he was implicitly
mocking the strict art that insists on
following the solid rules and accurate
standards of the prim classical art;
which the “Mona Lisa” was its highest
peak.
The mustache was a kind of gender
transformation for the Mona Lisa from
femininity to masculinity, so that the
receiver is to be shocked by such an
outrageous act; while the artist aimed to
draw attention to the importance of
changing the art standards and search
for new ones that release the human
being from the prison in which his
thoughts and imagination are locked in.
A dada Poem !
Dada
Hannah Hoch
Cut with the Kitchen
Knife Through the First
Epoch of the Weimar
Beer-Belly Culture, 1919.

This work epitomizes the

Dada attitude towards war:
That it is chaos. That the
world has gone mad. That
war itself is craziness
incarnate destroying
humanity
Dada

Hannah Hoch
Dada-Rundschau
photomontage, 1920
Dada
Dada 3, ed. Tristan
Tzara (Zurich,
December 1918),
cover.
Dada - Dada 3, ed. Tristan Tzara
(Zurich, December 1918).
Dada
Dada 4–5 (Anthologie
Dada), ed. Tristan
Tzara (Zurich, May
1919), cover
Dada
Der Dada 3, ed. Raoul
Hausmann (Berlin,
April 1920), cover.
Dada
Jean Arp
Configuration
Dada
Jean Arp
Collage with
Squares Arranged
According to the
Laws of Chance
(1916)
Dada
Jean Arp
Geometric
Forms (1914)
Dada
Man Ray
Legend
Dada
Francis Pecabia
1921
Dada
Francis Pecabia
1921
Dada

Francis Pecabia
Machine turns
quickly
1916/1918
Dada

Francis Pecabia
Amorous Parade.
Dada
Man Ray
Gift
Dada
Kurt Schwitters
the critic, 1921
Dada

Kurt Schwitters
Die Kathedrale
1920
Dada

Kurt Schwitters
Merz - Band 2-Nr. 8/9
1924
Dada
Van Doesburg
Kleine dada
soiree- 1922
List of some websites about Dadaism
•SITE: http://www.dadart.com/dadaism/dada/021-dada-zurich.html

•SITE: http://www.dadart.com/dadaism/dada/023-dada-newyork.html

•SITE: http://www.dadart.com/dadaism/dada/022-dada-berlin.html

•SITE: http://www.dadart.com/dadaism/dada/026-conclusion.html

•SITE: http://cotati.sjsu.edu/spoetry/folder6/ng65.html

•Site: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.05/streetcred.html?pg=12

•SITE: http://www.arthistoryguide.com/Dada.aspx

•SITE: http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jenglish/English104/tzara.html