With the instability inherent in the contemporary social and political state, we saw an emergence of a form of art that, for the first time in history, was created with an aim to reject progress. The Dada movement comes from the recognition of the societal human of the destructive power of progress. We examined the Hugo Ball performance, which highlights the nonsensical nature of what is represented and what is representing it. There were usage of texts within paintings, the works created were random, violent, and non-representational. Artists used a variety of mediums in manners that diverge completely from how they were used in past periods. This is apparent in, but not limited to, works of Marcel Duchamp, who coined the term readymade to indicate external materials which are placed in a structure with minimal modifications, or Max Ernst’s 1 Copper Plate 1 Zinc Plate 1 Rubber Cloth 2 Clippers 1 Drainpipe Telescope 1 Piping Man, which is simply an assemblage of materials that evoke certain emotions that could be felt by an individual. We saw the beginning of the interest in Freud’s concept of the human’s unconscious mind.
This was the foundation for the development of early Surrealism. Of course, we most frequently heard of Surrealism through the analysis of Dali’s Persistence of Time, which centers the distortion of time, space and figures organized in a highly chaotic composition. However, in contrast to how Dada uses its objects and colors arbitrarily, Dali gave a purpose to his work. In this sense, each element of the painting, including the name of the piece, goes together to create a coherent message. Oftentimes, these messages evoke a sense of emotional aspects, as they delve into the unconscious realm of the psyche. Works like The Gift by Man Ray, or Object (Luncheon in fur), which brought forward distinct sensations of awe and disgust, are clearly surrealist for this reason.