How Dadaism Relates to Pop Art History

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DADAISM AND POP ART 1

How Dadaism Relates to Pop Art History

Student's Name

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Literature, Arts and the Humanities: Analysis and Interpretation

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DADAISM AND POP ART 2

How Dadaism Relates to Pop Art

Humans have always found a way to express themselves and art has been and will always be

an effective way. Throughout history, man used art to express emotion and to reflect current

events. As cultures changed, art movements changed also changed. Art History is divided into

historical art periods. Dadaism and Pop Art are two of many historical art periods. I will be

comparing and contrasting Dadaism and Pop Art to clarify the relationship between the two

historical art periods.

Dadaism Historical Period

Dadaism was started by artists in Britain after seeing and enduring the horrors of World

War I. People were angry about the war and that it was allowed to happen. “Dada was, officially,

not a movement, its artists not artists and its art not art.”(Esaak, 2012) It was meant to illicit a

reaction such as alarm or contempt. Dadaists used their art to portray their avid opposition to the

war and eventually their opposition to what was considered normal. “Abstraction and

Expressionism were the main influences on Dada, followed by Cubism and, to a lesser extent,

Futurism.”(Esaak, 2012) The goal of Dadaism was to be anything but what art had been prior to

the war. It was to be “anti-art”. “Dada had only one rule: Never follow any known rules.”

(Esaak, 2012) The idea of Dadaism spread globally and soon artists all over the world were using

their “non-art” to provoke reactions.

Although Dadaists were very serious about their work, some of the pieces came across as

sarcastic, bizarre and sometimes, funny. Considered to be, “one of
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