Introduction
Due to widespread social, political, and cultural ills of the First World War era, Dadaism artists coined a movement aimed at passing a message of their displeasure. The movement embraced aspects of art, music, theatre, dance, politics, and poetry. Dada differed with Cubism and Fauvism because it was more of a protest movement guided by an anti-establishment manifesto. One of the Dadaism movement's well-known artwork was the "Spirit of Our Time," done by Raoul Haussmann, the renowned German artist. Just like the general movement’s theme, this artistic work was a piece of protest against the injustices occurring during that period.
Background Information
Dadaism was an artistic and literal campaign that originated from Zurich, Switzerland. The movement arose as a reaction to WWW I and the underlying nationalism issues that had contributed to the emergence of the war (“Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas”). Although the movement was unique, it had undertones of other campaigns such as Cubism, Constructivism, and Fauvism. The Dadaism movement output was rather wildly diverse, ranging from performance to poetry, photography, painting, and collage. Principally, the movement's aesthetics were characterized by its mockery of materialistic and nationalistic attitudes. With time, the movement's influence spread to other cities, including Berlin, New York, and Cologne. All these chapters of the campaign had their groups founded on different but related principles (Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas). The ideas that were borne out of the movement came to be the cornerstone of various modern and contemporary art categories.
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The Dadaism movement was the direct forerunner of the Conceptual Art Movement. The subject movement focus was not on designing aesthetically pleasing items but on making objects that often upset bourgeois sensibilities. Fundamentally, the artworks during this period generated challenging questions about society and the role of the artists (“Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas”). For example, the sculptural metaphor “Spirit of Our Time” was a demonstration against the establishment’s inability to inspire changes required to create a better Germany. In this artwork, Raoul Hausmann wanted to make a statement about the state of society concerning corruption levels (“ Dadaism - Art And Anti Art ."). As such, people who participated in the movement were able to pass their discontentment with different aspects of the society that threatened the progress of social and political sanity. Besides the actual meaning of the word Dadaism, the Dada art merged to be one of the leading revolutionary campaigns in the early 20th century. Instead of celebrating deliberate intent, the movement focused on luck in place of logic and irrationality.
Nature of the Movement
Raoul’s piece of art was out of his disillusionment with how affairs in his country were being run. As one of the leading members of the movement, Raoul was an expert in photomontage and assemblage (“The Spirit of Our Time”). These two artistic principles are evident in the "Spirit of Our Time," which was completed in 1921. The artwork in an assemblage of may tools and devices on a wooden head. The artist's goal in this piece of work is evidenced by the theme of assemblage. The human form of the sculpture's head shows what Raoul believed was the society's principle during his time. The dummy's head is made of wood, which exudes neither emotions nor unique characteristics. However, one acknowledges the symmetrical and simplicity qualities of the head (“The Spirit of Our Time”). Despite these two qualities, the head does not have pupils in the eye, no ears, or hair. The artist is thus passing a subtle message that depicts the emptiness of a typical man post WW I, the man lacked sophistication.
From its qualities, the sculpture "Spirit of Our Time" portrays a different type of man, with mental capabilities being the primary aspect of the artwork. The fact that the head lack any expression shows the absence of realistic interpretation. However, the objects on the head that are most noticeable include ruler, typewriter parts, and watch. These add-ons represent measurement and information, and they indicate that the human mind has been hijacked by the different devices in society ( Padularosa, 2019 ). Raoul’s primary intention is to show that the common German citizen at that time was had become reliant on machines to make decisions (“The Spirit of Our Time”). The society was gradually losing its human aspect because people had become corrupted by technology. Other elements, such as color and texture, were enhancing the sculpture's factors, which aided in bringing out the primary theme.
Leading Personalities in the Dadaism Movement
The Dadaism had several notable personalities that spearheaded it across different countries. Dadaism can trace its roots to 1916 when Hugo ball and Emmy Henning founded the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The two artists sought the support of other artists and writers who formed a plan for artistic entertainment. Some of the artists included Hans Arp, Richard Huelsenbeck, and Tristan Tzara. These founders were driven by the urge to distance absolve themselves from the sobriety of the Switzerland society. The movement aimed at campaigning to end the war and to vent their frustration with the establishment. After the war ended in 1918, the movement spread to other cities, including New York and Berlin. In Germany, the likes of George Grosz, Raoul Hausmann, and Johannes Baader were the leading Dadaism leaders. The German artists are most remembered for their politically driven Dadaism campaign. These artists used cartoon clippings, satirical paintings, and collages. The aim of Germany themed Dadaism was to push the government to stop its excess on the public. The New York chapter was headlined by works from the Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia, who specialized in the movement's literary aspect. The New York-based artist believed that art must be unaesthetic in the extreme, useless, and impossible to understand ("Dada Movement Development, Concepts, Influence"). Dadaism movement was not only confined in Zurich but was also evident in other cities such as Paris.
Summary
The Dadaism movement, which was characterized by artistry rebellion, arose as a reaction to WW I and tits nationalistic dynamics that ensued. The “Spirit of Our Time” by Raoul Hausmann is one of the most prominent works of art that defined it. Originating from Zurich, the campaign spread to different cities with New York and the German city of Berlin. Various artists had different approaches, which were also defined by geographic cities where those artists resided. Through their radical ideas, Dadaism artists were able to influence post WW I events through their thematic artworks.
References
Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas . The Art Story. Retrieved 24 June 2020, from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/dada/ .
Padularosa, D. (2019). Anti-Art? Dada and Anarchy. In Anarchism and the Avant-Garde (pp. 99-126). Brill Rodopi.
Dada Movement Development, Concepts, Influence . The Art Story. Retrieved 24 June 2020, from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/dada/history-and-concepts/.
Dadaism - Art And Anti Art . Artyfactory.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020, from https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm .
The Spirit of Our Time . Utopia/Dystopia. Retrieved 24 June 2020, from https://utopiadystopiawwi.wordpress.com/dada/raoul-hausmann/the-spirit-of-our-time/ .
