The Dadaist group was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in the early 20th century in Zurich, Switzerland. Dada movement was founded by Hugo Ball, a German author, in 1916 and continued through 1924. Other leading artists associated with it were Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, and Kurt Schwitters. The Dada group acted as an opposition movement with an anti-establishment strategy during the First World War. I will explain how the Dadaists responded to the World War by examining their works.
Potsdamer Platz was an economic, political, and cultural center building in Berlin before its collapse. The building served as a trading post for the Germans and was also used as a campsite for refugees, such as the Jews (Allen, 442). Fritz Lang, a film director, was a reconnaissance officer who made maps that ventured behind the enemy lines to identify previously unknown enemy artillery positions and won a commendation (Benson 14). Lang’s carefully planned camera spots conveyed the urban architectural fantasies of Metropolis in cooperation with Eric Kettelhut, who was the set designer who made many drawings of knocked-down buildings.
Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, a central Europe artist who served as an artillery reconnaissance officer, forged ahead of the advancing troops and identified enemy targets. He had maps that he employed signs and colors, which helped him succeed in his survey (Benson 13). Lang had trained his eyes to a vision increase (Benson 13). Lang also wanted to get past one-point linear perspective arriving at ‘vision in motion’ (Benson 13). The Dadaist’s art and literacy became helpful in bringing the conflicts to an end.
The ill-famed six-month battle of Somme began in July 1916. A battle documentary is known as ‘The Battle of Somme’ was produced. Two British men, Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell, made the film. They captured a broad range of war preparations, movement of supplies, and scenes of the actual battle in which some of the soldiers appeared to be dead soon after being filmed (Benson 10). The military and the media were the only people who could use the battlefield (Benson 10). Aerial photography of the enemy troop positions and documentation of the destruction wrought by artillery spread through the media space worldwide (Benson 10). These techniques provided a rich and multifaceted perspective on the war from multiple viewpoints unavailable anywhere else, even to its participants on the battlefield.
The Berlin Dadaists demonstrated their view of society and politics in remarkable arts and events. The Berlin Dada Club movement included avant-garde artists such as Hannah Hoch, Raoul Hausmann, John Heartfield, and Johannes Baader. Heartfield advanced his skills as a book designer, becoming an innovator in photography on dust jackets (Benson 11). He designed Malik Verlag, a publishing house established and run by his brother (Benson 12). The movement was quickly and enthusiastically launched into the art world and founded appreciation among connoisseurs of fine arts in the 1920s (Benson 12). The club’s goal was to subvert all conventions, including conventional art-making modes such as painting and sculpture.
Architecture in Berlin has achieved success in remarkable projects over many years. In 1920, Berlin was a place of art, design, and architecture (Dahms 370). Bauhaus, The Charnel House, and Bruno Taut are some of the successful tasks. Berlins became well-known across the world. They focused on new plans and new building materials, forming modern architecture (Dahms 370). The forefathers of modern architecture are the early work of Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus masters, among others. The German revolution of 1918 managed to attain admired aspirations for political partaking’s which had swelled in the World War (Dahms 370). It formed the first communal government of a modern commercial economy, which delivered democracy to the public (Dahms 370). Berlin’s architecture is well known across the world for its incredible buildings.
The Dada text and the Landscape of war, Benson (2020). “Often the same images — including aerial photography of enemy troop positions or documentation of the destruction wrought by artillery — were spread through the spectacle of the public media space of films and illustrated newspapers” (Benson 10). The Dadaists responded to the war by making films and photographs which spread on the media. They became well-known across the world following their successful art, revealing the First World War events in the media. The Dada group cooperated and worked hard with persistence and got excellent results of their works. The arts and designs of the Dadaists provide clear history when people are learning about the First World War.
The character of Berlin Urban architecture changes soon after World War. Architects play a significant role in designing new buildings such as the Bauhaus, Bruno Taut, and The Charnel House. The architect’s work attracted many people across the world. “…Galison’s historical discovery about the relations between the Vienna Circle and the Bauhaus during the era in which Hannes Meyer was its director” (Dahms 357). Berlin’s architecture focused on rebuilding their nation, where buildings had been destroyed following World War. People should use their talents and abilities to develop themselves and the general public.
Work Cited
Benson, Timothy O. (2020) “The Dada Text and the Landscape of War.” Dada/Surrealism, vol. 23(1), pp. 1-21, Web.
Allen, John. “Ambient power: Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz and the seductive logic of public places.” Urban Studies, vol. 43(2), 2006, pp. 441-455.
Dahms, Hans-Joachim. “Neuce Sachlichkeit in the Architecture and Philosophy of the 1920s.” Camap Brought Home. The View of Jena, Chicago: Open Court, 2004, pp. 357-375, Web.