Dada Responds To The Horrors Of War

Dada, an art movement that peaked between 1916 and the 1920s, emerged as a protest against the horrors of war, particularly World War I. They were deeply disillusioned by the war’s devastation and saw art as a tool that failed to save civilization from its destructive consequences.

Dadaists organized demonstrations, created propaganda, and wrote brochures and manifestos against the cruelty of war, drawing inspiration from the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud and the critical ideas of Max Jacob (who later perished in a Nazi concentration camp) and Guillaume Apollinaire.

They established a new journal where they published anti-war and anti-terror articles, often employing satire to convey their message. Additionally, they performed absurd theatrical pieces at Cabaret Voltaire, which were highly critical of the First World War. One of the movement’s leaders, Tzara, wrote extensively for various European newspapers, emphasizing the sheer horror of war.

Surrealism, another movement that emerged during this period, shared Dada’s opposition to the terror-inducing thoughts surrounding World War I. This shared sentiment contributed to the creation of both movements’ distinctive irrational and surreal artistic styles. Surrealism inherited Dada’s pessimistic and revolutionary mood, which emphasized the exploration of various activities and theories rather than the production of traditional representational art.

Dada’s followers embraced the concepts of irrationality and “accidentalness.” They introduced the Law of Chances, a technique developed by Jean Arp, who would throw pieces of paper onto the floor and glue them to the background where they landed. Marcel Duchamp further popularized this method. Dadaists engaged in numerous experiments, deliberately disregarding the established artistic laws and conventions of their predecessors.

Surrealism drew inspiration from Dada’s ideas about anti-consciousness and the rejection of controlled thinking in the creative process. Instead, Surrealists favored tapping into the subconscious mind and emotions. They believed in the power of dreams (as exemplified by Salvador Dalí), intuitive associations, and the concept of chance (as explored by Ernst).

Some Dadaists and Surrealists drew heavily from the concept of absurdity and illogicality. Notably, Dada was a precursor to Surrealism, as several Dadaist artists and poets later transitioned into Surrealist careers. For instance, Max Ernst, a painter, Man Ray, a photographer, and Tristan Tzara, a poet, all made this shift.