Kelly Jie, RDF International School

瑞得福国际学校 揭雅雯

Dadaism is a kind of unique art which is close to our life. Personally, I think it’s an art really worth knowing deeply. Dadaism is a form of art that appeared between 1916 and 1923. It’s a movement in visual arts, literature, theater and art design. I like these works because they’re different from conventional art.

New art always makes people feel amazing. And there is also a deeper meaning behind Dadaism. Dadaism was led by a group of young artists and anti-war activists who expressed their despair and dissatisfaction at World War I through anti-aesthetic works. I can feel their rebellious passion through their works.

I was very curious about the origins of the name “Dadaism,” so I tried to find some resources. In fact, there are many theories about how Dadaism got its name. Some people believe that it is a nonsense word, while others believe it came from a common phrase used by Romanian artists. “Da, da” means “Yes, yes” in Romanian.

But the most popular theory is that in 1916 a group of artists gathered in Zurich to give their group a name. So they just opened a dictionary of German and randomly chose a word — “Dada.”

Therefore, the movement was named Dadaism, in order to show its randomness rather than being a “literary movement” in the general sense. I love their fresh and special ideas. I was attracted to their story and I am more and more interested in Dadaism.

The main characteristics of Dadaism include the rejection of conventional artistic standards, disillusionment, the pursuit of the unintentional, accidental and spontaneous realm and so on. It reflects the artists’ casual and free thinking. Traditional artworks always convey some necessary, suggestive and potential information; however, Dadaists pursue the realm of “meaninglessness.”

The interpretation of Dadaism depends entirely on the taste of the viewer, which makes it differentiate from traditional art. Dadaists believe that Dadaism is not an art, but an “anti-art.” This embodies their spirit of resistance. But the interesting thing is, this anti-art has formed a new genre of art.

I love their amusing minds and soul. Normally, people may feel uncomfortable when they see a dirty room, while in the eyes of Dadaists, it’s exactly the work of art.

This means our untidy quilts, unclean desks and shattered cups can all be a form of art. Art is real, but not abstract. In a way, art does not mean to be perfect; everything is a work of art.

After learning about Dadaism, I’ve got more knowledge and understanding about art, which gives me new inspiration to create my own works.