Anti-art: DADAism as opposed to other 'isms'

In the beginning of 20-th century, western art world was shaken as it hasn't been before. While all the movements so far aimed to set their own standards, rules and ideology in art, the residents of Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich managed to ruin this established order. 1916 became remarkable year in art history- a year when the concept of  'anti-art' was invented. Anti-art meant anarchy, rejection and irrationality and DADA. The founders - Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings - managed to gather a group of artists under the roof of 'Voltaire' and got rid of the trivial notion of art and everything attached. The idea of randomness was key in the group's activity and was used to give it's famous bizarre name. 

In spite of the irrationality and childishness, the DADA group pursued serious conceptual goals - to use art as a basis for expressing their political and social views. They promoted anti nationalistic idea by considering it to be destructive and war oriented. Therefore, DADA was the first art movement that functioned not for the sake of it's aesthetic value, as the DADA manifesto by Tzara proclaimed:' A work of art should not be beauty in itself, for beauty is dead;...'. Instead art activity was used a a supporting platform for spreading their ideas. The group conveniently consisted of multinational members and collaborates from various art spheres, so their ideas got sufficiently spread across Europe and, further, over the ocean. 

Even though DADA kept to a nihilist stance in art, the members used a wide scope of forms, from collages to the use of ready-made objects, to incorporate their ideas. Besides, they found a new form of artistic expression by applying new  connotations to ready-made everyday objects.

'The Beautiful Girl'

Hannah Hoch

1920

Hannah Hoch - a representative of German DADA community and a rare women within it. She mastered collage art and used it for social critique means. She was concerned about the women status of inequality, notions of beauty and role of women in creative activities. The artwork is a reflection of Hoch's sarcastic attitude towards typical female picturing. It opposes the idea of 'New woman' that was promoted by society, as it had to do nothing with reality. The world simply did not let women to reach this high level not only in society, but in their lifestyle. 

The depicted image of woman is a juxtaposing to the actual situation in the industrially oriented country, that tried to deal with post WW1 consequences. Picturing of car and BWM logos that dominate the background is a direct reflection of the situation. The face of women is removed completely, so that to depict the disconnection with realia and confused position of women in society. 

'LHOOQ'

Marcel Duchamp

1919

The widely-known ambiguous piece by Duchamp, that can be still shocking to look at. The pioneering of using ready-made objects for artworks. It is an example of critique aimed to reveal the outlived trends and uselessness of modern art. The artist uses a ready-made masterpiece, in fact it's reproduction, to convey a message that tradition art doesn't fit the needs of modern society and stays faceless in the opposition to the global issues, such as war, unemployment and discrimination. He uses a sarcastic way to explain the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile by writing :'She has a hot ass'. It is a call for artists to pursue the active position and get rid of traditional approach that is more an obstacle than a privilege for modern art.

Sources:
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-hoch-hannah.htm

https://utopiadystopiawwi.wordpress.com/dada/hannah-hoch/the-beautiful-girl/
https://d32dm0rphc51dk.cloudfront.net/zvMffa3m-b45hujyM3j6BA/larger.jpg
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada-artworks.htm#pnt_4
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e0/d8/8b/e0d88be98e25ef11b755034930c4b3d4.jpg