Effect of War on Art

The dada movement rejected subjectivity and left things up to chance. The dada movement also really challenged what defines art and challenges the nature of art itself. Artists wanted to make people understand that works of art are not defined as art has just objects made but by the reactions of the viewers as well. Both dada and surrealism questioned the modern society. Surrealism was considered to be more abstract and unorganized. Both were critics of work of art and critiquing the bourgeois life style. These movements raise issues on art and how it is created and also what considers art to be art.

Dada movement changed the artwork because it was letting chance take over. Dada movement was a big change in the art world. Duchamp buys objects that are mass-produced and he challenges the idea that the artist needs to craft something in order for it to be considered art. With that he brings up the question as to who is the deciding factor of what art is? Duchamp is a good example of the dada movement because you can see that he mocks the traditional art. Especially, with L.H.O.O.Q. that he painted facial hair to the Mona Lisa painting. I think that Duchamp takes other peoples artwork and just adds minor details and then calls it his own. Some might say that is not art, but then again you are questioned with who is the judge of what is art. I question that his art is actually art. I think that him taking mundane or ready-made objects and calling them art isn’t really art. Ready-made objects are objects or things that are mass-produced and things that people may use daily. But I also think it could be, because it makes the viewer pay more closer attention to the detail in the objects we see everyday. For example the “Bicycle Wheel” by Marcel Duchamp, he is taking two objects that are used in everyday life and puts them together to get people to look at them differently and more closely. This also goes with that art is just art sake and against saint-Simon said about art being useful. Duchamp took two useful objects and makes them not useful.

Surrealism movement was also against war and the bourgeois style of life. But the surrealism art was more unorganized and became more abstract, and sometimes violent. Surrealism had created different techniques to show works of art, such as the Photomontage. I think that the work done by Salvador Dali called “The Phenomenon of Ecstasy” was a good example of Photomontage. When looking at this work you really get that sense that it is a collage of pictures of different people and different parts of their body. The way that the women are positioned in the pictures makes the work of art seem somewhat erotic.

Surrealism and the dada movements gave art more ways to let the artists express themselves. There are more ways that art is created rather than using a canvas and oil paints. Both raise issues about art and makes people question art.