It all began in Switzerland around the year 1916 at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. A group of artists conceived the idea of introducing a new art movement. Shortly thereafter, it became one of the most daring and innovative periods in art history.
The prominent figures of the Dada movement include Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco, and Marcel Duchamp.
As a result of significant social and political changes after World War I, this new art movement emerged. The societal trauma caused by these events led artists to bid farewell to all established rules and conventions and experience true artistic freedom.
The key question posed by Dadaism was: Where is the boundary of what art can be?
Main Characteristics of Dada Art
- Dada or Dadaism, originating in 1918, is mainly characterized by consciously challenging and mocking the traditional established art order.
In the preceding decades, Surrealism and Cubism had already pushed the boundaries of traditional norms and rules, but not in the way envisioned by the Dadaists.
The artists, also known as Dadaists, not only wanted to break away from the traditional artistic vision but also mocked it. There was an anarchistic but also humorous guideline in the artwork of this movement.
1. Anti-Everything
- The fewer rules and adherence to tradition, the more freedom for the artist.
At their core, Dadaists believed that the beloved artworks of the old masters had seen their best days. Within this group, there was a strong desire for innovation in the art world. They expressed this frustration by mocking traditional works.
L.H.O.O.Q. by Duchamp:
The craftsmanship and attention to detail that were considered good artistry before the 20th century were severely tested by the modern art movement. Especially after World War I, artists were very skeptical of everything considered aesthetically valuable. Because going against these established norms also provokes a reaction?
“Dada is for the senseless, which does not mean nonsense. Dada is senseless, like nature. Dada is for nature and against art.”
While art always had to have meaning or reveal an underlying story, Dadaism was the opposite of this ideology. The rejection of these traditions and social conventions, characteristic of all art within the Dada movement, was a result of a distrust in what society had built.
Marcel Duchamp, one of the most prominent artists of the Dada movement, was especially known for the Fountain to destabilize the entire concept of ‘art.’ He was also not averse to mocking old masters beloved by the general public.
2. The choice for Collage
Around 1919, Kurt Schwitters was the first artist to bring together various newspaper clippings and other pieces of paper. This ‘collage‘ art is highly characteristic of Dadaism because it portrays the chaos of that time.
Putting different parts together was a way to take a new path as an artist, simultaneously challenging the entire concept of art.
This collage became a trend and was adopted by artists like Hannah Hoch. In her most famous collage from 1919, her primary goal was to express her criticism of the politics of the Weimar regime in Germany. The kitchen knife in the collage was meant to represent the domestic atmosphere prevailing in society.
3. Objects and Readymades
Dadaism did not remain a small-scale anarchistic movement. People were indeed ready for some innovation and a different perspective. However, there was much criticism when ordinary objects were exhibited as art, also known as readymades.
“Fountain,” 1917 by Duchamp, is perhaps the most famous example of pushing the boundaries in the art world. A urinal that is looked at and contemplated in the same way as paintings by Monet and Van Gogh.
Why did he do that? The idea was to emphasize the concept and presentation rather than the craftsmanship of making the object.
‘I expressed my will to go against creation, against the sensory-perceptible reality of the readymades. I wanted to express that art is a mental activity.’
Certainly, there was much criticism of using toilets and other items that suddenly had to be seen as art. Nevertheless, Duchamp ensured that readymades still characterize contemporary art today.
4. The Dada Way of Humor
If you can convey a message or feeling about art through humor, that can also be done with jokes and absurd statements that actually mean nothing. Since in Dada everything was allowed and all rules were abandoned, there was room to experiment with humor.
This humor was often ironic and aimed at the hypocrisy of politics and elite groups.
This quote from Dadaist Tristan Tzara illustrates the playful and subversive nature of Dada, where the traditional meanings of words and the seriousness of art were challenged:
‘The poet is a small god. He creates a meaningful world out of chaos. He is the destroyer of man and his inventions. The word has no meaning. The poet gives it one.’
5. Textual Experiments: Poetic Renewal
In Dada art, there were also many experiments with poetry. This was also a separate medium but, due to the innovation that took place, was considered a standalone artwork.
There were sound poems presented in a collage or simply framed. Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball were particularly pioneers in this regard. The message was clear, as one could simply read it. The dressing and form were what made the artwork unique.
These word art pieces were often performed and recited for the public. It was precisely an experiment to express a story or thought so resolutely, often as a kind of protest against something.
6. Irrationality and Abstraction
The time in which this art movement originated was a challenging period, with much happening politically and socially. As a result of World War I and all its consequences, especially established artists were no longer inclined to follow the artistic path they had always taken.
Society was in upheaval. The chaos of this time was also intended to be expressed in art, to give it a place.
7. Role of Chance
The creative process of the Dadaist is characterized by improvisation and giving randomness the space to let things happen. This was also a countermovement to the rationality prevailing in society. It was, therefore, a logical step to leave out the logic and reasoning of the established order and religion in the new art.
In “Bird and Necktie“, chance is an important element in Arp’s creative process. He used a method called “concretion,” letting paper cutouts fall on a surface and positioning them as they fell.
What should have received much criticism actually led to a revolution in the art world. Everyone was now able to create art.
8. Dada Art: The Beginning of the Avant-Garde
The avant-garde movement began around 1916 with the emergence of the Dada movement. The motives that went against tradition were at the core of what the avant-garde actually entails.
- Previously, painting had the explicit purpose of enabling the observation of landscapes, animals, and things. Film and photography took over this role. Avant-garde is a reaction to all these attempts to deny everything that is real.
The door that was opened by Dadaism led to such a turn that not many years later, movements like Bauhaus (1919) and Pop Art (early 1950s) emerged. They all shared similar visions on how art could be created and perceived: emphasizing abstraction and material properties.
9. Anti-War
Dada is essentially anti-everything, but within a specific framework. The war had such an impact that Dadaism was mainly characterized by anti-nationalism and money, which were the sources of all the suffering that came after the war.
It remains to be seen whether Dada was only a countermovement born out of frustration and anger. Nevertheless, this frustration has been the engine and inspiration for creating new art and prioritizing the individual.
Art will no longer be determined by cultural customs and traditions but will be sculpted by the character and vision of the artist.
10. Love for Chaos
The love for disorder and asymmetry mainly arose from the conscious rejection of art tradition. Cubism and Impressionism were not chaotic enough in the eyes of the Dadaists.
Movement Declaration: The Dada Manifesto
What makes Dada essentially unique is that it was a counter-movement against the traditional art norm. After Cabaret Voltaire, several documents appeared containing declarations of what Dada stood for—absurdity, irrationality, and rejection of traditional artistic values—of which the ‘Dada manifesto‘ became the most infamous. This was written by one of the Dada founders, Hugo Ball, who later turned away from the whole avant-garde movement and unexpectedly became a Catholic.
The Origin of the Name ‘Dada‘
- The name Dada seems to have been chosen randomly, without having a real meaning. This meaninglessness and childlike pronunciation align with the spirit of the Dada movement itself. The name “Dada” seems to have first appeared in Zurich, Switzerland, where the Dada movement originated in 1916.
Final Thoughts on Dada
The diversity of characteristics of Dadaism reflects the artistic abundance and need for something new at the time. With the use of collages and objects given aesthetic value, it left its mark and is still visible in modern and contemporary art.
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