Connections Between Art and Literature

The Dada, or Dadaism, movement started in Switzerland during World War 1 and climaxed during 1916 to 1922. The three major components of the movement were visual art, literature, and graphic design. There was a lot of focus on anti-war politics. Periodicals such as 391 by the Dadaist Francis Picabia were written in a mostly aggressive tone arguing against the war. The art form of Dadaism was based off of the former popular art form Cubism. Dadaist artists used the techniques that Cubist artists used but incorporated a feeling of life into their work. Cubist artists focused on still life but Dadaist artist included things such as tickets, maps, etc. to show a sense of living and life. In Berlin, the photomontage technique was created. This technique included the use of scissors and glue as opposed to the traditional tools of paint and a paintbrush. It also used actual pictures as its focus. They were generally taken out of newspapers and other forms of public press. Assemblages were also created during this movement. They were three dimensional works of art that were an “assembly” of everyday art that either had meaning or didn’t. The meaning of the art, as always, was created by the artist.

The Surrealist movement began in the early nineteen twenties. It developed after World War 1 as a result of it and Dadaism. The main location in the Surrealist movement was in Paris, France. Surrealist artists created and developed the technique of automatic drawing. It was a way of expressing their subconscious through art. In order to make an automatic drawing, the artist allows his or her hand to move randomly and spontaneously across the work surface. Opening your mind in this way allows it to be released from regular control and patterns which is why some believe it opens up and gives insight into your psyche. It’s also used by mediums and people who practice psychic skills. Many artists in the Surrealist movement started out in Dadaism. Writers from the Dadaist movement also joined the Surrealist movement. Those writers included Tristan Tzara, an avant- garde poet.

The modernist movement in American literature was based in Europe between nineteen hundred and the late nineteen twenties. Some famous authors involved in the modernist movement were Gertrude Stein, T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, F Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Frost, and Ernest Hemingway. Those are only a few of the dozens of authors who made the modernist movement what it was. Some characteristics of Modernism included an international aspect, gaps or fissures in the writing, the avant-garde philosophy or “Make it new”, fragmentation in the writing, no truths, and the use of quotidian or “the everyday”. It was usually written in the aftermath of a big historical event. Many modernist pieces, such as Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, focus on the effects of World War one on the human population. Some focused on the effects on the general population but others, like Hemingway, focused on the effects on the soldiers and the “Lost Generation”.

A big aspect of all three of these movements is the way they are centered on World War one. The Dadaism movement was during it. The Surrealism movement and the modernist movement were focused on the aftermath. It shows how something such as a world war can unite people in unexpected and unfamiliar ways. Generally, artists and authors stayed in a certain area to create art or writings. However, during these movements, they all came together and travelled around the world to be one with the movements. There were of course certain artists or writers that drew everyone to them but the fact is that most writings or paintings were done in specific areas of the world by people of all different backgrounds and cultures.

Works Cited:
- Class Notes September 21st, 2009
- "Dada Movement". http://www.arthistoryguide.com/Dada.aspx.
- "Art History: Surrealism: (1924 - 1955)". http://wwar.com/masters/movements/surrealism.html.
- "Modernist Literature". http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Modernist_literature.