The events of the 20th century have created a platform for the rapid development of various artistic styles and approaches. One of the most notorious branches of art was the Dada movement and the spreading of Surrealism. The purpose of this essay is to figure out the historical context of Dada formation as well as to dwell upon the main idea behind Surrealism art.
The first half of the 20th century was a tough challenge for the world community. World War I left people in frustration and despair, and one of the few ways to escape harsh reality was to create a personal, imaginary world where the thought of common people was heard and accepted. One of these escapes found its realization in the Dada movement – a means of expressing outrage and disillusionment (Arnason and Mansfield).
Being sick of war, its representatives, through the forms of art, poetry, or sculpture, tried to re-invent art and the overall concept of the world hierarchy. Among the most famous then artists were German-French painter and sculptor Hans Arp, American painter Marcel Duchamp, and French painter Francis Picabia.
Another artistic movement of the 20th century, which is worth mentioning, is Surrealism. Unlike Dada, its primary purpose was not to express the personal views on a certain social situation but to open the artist’s true talent through subconsciousness. On a famous Salvador Dali’s painting, called Soft Construction with Boiled Beans: Premonitions of the Civil War, one can see the depiction of a monster creature that destructs himself.
The title is very symbolic as the notion of civil war is nothing but a country’s self-destruction. I have chosen this painting because the depiction of this idea is surprisingly precise, and this painting has become a kind of cautionary note for Spanish people. The disastrous effects of events happening in the real world described through the image of a monster make a recipient feel uncomfortable and give the people some food for thoughts.
To sum up, the new branches of art that appeared in the 20th century are a point of major interest for many art critics and researchers. Developing during the era of ongoing world conflicts, various creators tried to convey their feelings of uncertainty, loss, and fear through the works of art. For them, it was the only way to be heard in society deafened by gunshots.
Work Cited
Arnason, Harvard H., and Elizabeth C. Mansfield. History of Modern Art, 6th Edition. Pearson, 2009.