Duchamp and Dadaism in Modern Art - Essay Example

The second aim was to put into the logic that art is modest and smart and can influence the shape of the world. Similar views can be expressed by the dada movement (Tom Sandqvist). According to this movement, reason, and logic led people into war and therefore they were against capitalism. The fountain is one of the greatest Duchamp works and this piece of art is dated 1917. This piece of art is well known for the production of readymade or found objects of visual art. It is also important to understand that this piece of art has a close relationship with the dada movement. As already mentioned above, Dadaism was against strict logic and reasoning and productions like the fountain were meant to change the focus of art from the traditional visual to the mental.

Theo van Doesburg is also one of the Dadaist artists who had similar opinions of changing the focus of traditional art to modernism. According to this artist, art was not meant to just please the eyes but also to appease the mind. His works closely resemble Duchamp’s work of cubism. The two artists based their works on the change of ideologies as they argued that the lack of change in ideology is what resulted in the First World War. Their main aim of art was to show retaliation against capitalism in most countries across Europe and America. Theo van Doesburg made large drawings, writings, and other studies regarding large glasses. This artist desired the accommodation of modernity with his style commonly used in modern industrial products. This is also similar to Duchamp, especially his work on the fountain. The urinal is commonly used in toilets. It is also important to understand that the formation of glasses and tiles as pieces of art is majorly influenced by these two artists. Besides this Doesburg was also much concerned about alphabetical designs something that is argued to be an influence from his witty chess game (Baljeu). He is reported to be a lover of chess and this influenced most of his artwork. A good example is the formation of the vertical word zig-zag in 1931.

The artists aimed at stripping words of their meaning and giving them new meanings through the power of expression. This is also similar to the works of cubism which is also expressed by Duchamp. These two artists aimed at evoking a new reality instead of using a description. Duchamp’s work on cubism was a great influence in the formation of tiles which are used for decorations in modern houses (Henry, M). The use of different lines in different colors is also embraced. These two artists are from the dada movement and they aimed to change traditional art from the eyes to the mind. Read More