Dadaism

Man Ray, Indestructible Object, 1923

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917

Dadaism was formed during the first world war that particularly reflected the social issues and values of the time. The Dada Manifesto was written in 1918 and accused Expressionist artists of 'resistance to the times'. The Dadaists refused to create art that would be confined and to make people aware "that the definitions and standards by which we label and judge works of art are possibly secondary to art and not definitive of it."

The artists explored the use of haphazard, nonsensical, by-chance production. Some say their artwork was even destructive and had a more liberating approach to art making. Having decreased meaning behind their work. They hoped to really shock society.

Typical to their style, the word Dada was chosen randomly out of the dictionary. The word means "hobbyhorse" in French and "yes yes" in Slavic. Dada paved the way for Surrealism in the 1920's.