Post #14 - Dada Sculpture & Related Movements

The timeline of art and some of its sub-groups is a fascinating journey through which creativity and risks are essential for growth. We are going to start this particular journey back in the early 1900s with Futurism. 

Futurism was another step towards contemporary art. The artists of this period wanted to rile people up and invoke discussion. There was a heavy emphasis on motion and geometry. Marinetti was a proud supporter of this movement, and Mussolini. The Futurists wanted to tear everything down and thought of war as a type of cleansing. Boccioni was a sculptor at this time, and his sculptures captured motion in an elegant and geometric way. Other Futurist artists included Giacomo Balla, a painter; and Russolo, who experimented with sounds. 

Rayonism was popular in the 1910s. It can be thought of as a combination of Impressionism and Cubism. These painters painted in a sort of fourth dimension, attempting to capture a more spiritual realm and blurring the line between art and life. I think Rayonism was a creative way of taking two very different styles of mixing them and giving them new life. 

At almost the same time, Suprematism was gaining popularity, especially in Russia. There was a strong focus on the fundamentals of geometry, and it posed a lot of questions about the basics of art. Malevich, and his “Black Square”, show an infinite void, but at the same time a place for anything. I think his bold take and his initiative to officially draw that line between old and new art is remarkable, considering so many have tried and failed at this final separation. It was the ultimate form of abstraction, and Malevich was the master of it. I have my own opinions on the Black Square, but I do agree that it is a form of total abstraction, and it is a complete break from realism. 

The Constructivism movement took off afterwards. Unlike Suprematism, Constructivism focused more on the art in everyday life. Major artists of this era, Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, and El Lissitzky, were even influenced by Suprematism before they gave a name to Constructivism. The Constructivists non-conventional use of sculpture was fascinating, and how they moved from being in the studio to going out and using everyday products. Other notable mentions of this time were Henry Moore, a British sculptor; and the Bauhaus, a place that fostered these new art ideas; and Naum Gabo, a master of kinetic sculpture. 

This has all been leading up to the Dada period. This period is defined by its questioning of society and how though it sometimes seemed like nonsense, it really had deeper meanings. Performance art emerged from this period and the impact it has had is undeniable. Hugo Ball was a pioneer of this idea, leading the way in this purposeful performance. Tristan Tzara headed the Dada poetry, and Hans Arp headed chance art during Dada. Chance art threw all planning of art out the window, and allowed for pure expression. Marcel Duchamp really brought the whole idea of Dada art together with his art piece “Fountain”. By declaring a urinal as art, he outlines the Fluxists/Dadaists idea that art belonged to everyone, and could be anything. Conceptual art was the main part of this. Readymades, bricolage, and collage all emerged from this time. These also brought up the debate of appropriation, and if certain things should have been allowed. Fluxus artists were playful and creative, but they were serious about delivering a message to the people.