Exploring the Relationship between Dadaism and Surrealism
Mark W. Lewis
Western Governors University
Exploring the Relationship between Dadaism and Surrealism
Dadaism and Surrealism are two distinct art periods that have their origins in Europe in the early part of the twentieth century. The works from both movements would accurately be described as avant-garde. Both presented new and experimental ideas not seen in previous art movements. The earlier period, Dadaism (1916-1924), arose as a protest to the horrors of World War I. Dada presents as a chaotic collection of imagery and ideas. This presentation of imagery in their strange juxtapositions influenced the following Surrealism movement. Both were grounded in their opposition to the rational and logical socio-political ideas that the artists of the time felt contributed to the causes of the calamity that was the First World War.
If Dadaism could be described in one word, it would be chaotic. The Dadaism movement began at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916 after the outbreak of World War I as painters, poets and filmmakers fled to neutral Switzerland. Dada art can be in the form of poetry, paintings, and sculpture but the most popular forms are collages, photo-montages and ready-mades. Dada is characterized by random placement of imagery, words or features and the purposeful irrationality in the selection of the imagery. Dada is described as anti-aesthetic, anti-rational and anti-idealistic (Oxford, 2015).
Though the term Surrealism was first coined in 1917 to describe the ballet Parade co-written by Pablo Picasso, it was officially considered to have been founded in 1924 when André Breton wrote Le Manifeste du Surréalisme. Surrealism is an attempt to unlock the unconscious mind to inspire imagination and creativity in art. As evidenced in the dreamscapes popular during the period, Surrealists were influenced by the archetypes described by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Archetypes are presented in Surrealists art as symbols such as the feminine sea and the masculine sky. Also influential was Sigmund Freud’s ideas about how the subconscious influences conscious behavior. Surrealistic art is characterized by the distortion of scale, color, and form while maintaining order and quality in the piece. Representations of items that do not seem to be associated are presented so that symbolic relationships can be seen.
Dadaism and Surrealism are closely related. The literary group that is credited with starting the Surrealism movement was strongly entrenched in the Dadaism movement. Surrealism spun off from Dadaism as André Breton attempted to bring more purpose to the Dada group. This clashed with the anti-authoritarianism and anti-establishment characteristics of Dadaism. Tristan Tzara, the founder of the Dada movement, felt that the purpose that Breton was attempting to bring to the group was contrary to these fundamental characteristics of Dadaism. This ideological difference caused the collapse of Dadaism and the emergence of Surrealism.
There are both important similarities and differences between Dadaistic and Surrealistic art. A rejection of the rational and the real may be the most common characteristic that can be used to describe both movements. Art from both periods deliver unreal imagery and features. And both were heavily influenced by the industrial revolution and World War I. There are, however, distinct differences between the two as well. Dadaistic art tends to focus more on the message than the technical proficiency of the artist while the artists Surrealism period seemed to care a great deal about the aesthetic of their work. A Dada piece has no structure or order to the organization of the imagery. A collage for instance typically looked as if the cut out pictures, words or letters were tossed into the air and affixed as they landed giving the presentation of the piece a certain randomness. A Surreal piece may convey the same anti-establishment message as a Dada work but the piece would display order and structure. Also, artistic technical skill was more important in the development of the Surrealist’s art.

Dadaism art Example
Max Ernst was a popular artist in the early and mid-20th century and produced art in both Dadaistic and Surrealistic styles. In looking at two pieces from Ernst we will see the similarities and differences in the two movements. There is a definite appearance of refinement as Dadaism evolves into Surrealism. This article will explore the differences and similarities between the Dada piece “Hydrometric Demonstration of How to Kill by Temperature” (Ernst, 1920) and the Surreal piece “The Fireside Angel” (Ernst, 1937).
In this first piece Ernst demonstrates the anti-art philosophy of the Dada movement. From the name of the work, “Hydrometric Demonstration of How to Kill by Temperature,” to the semi-random composition, the piece exemplifies the Dada movement. Tristan Tzara, the founder of Dada, describes Dada as “Freedom: Dada Dada Dada, a roaring of tense colors, and interlacing of opposites and all contradictions, grotesques, inconsistencies: LIFE” (Dada, 1919). The work embodies the rejection of logic and accepts chaos as its foundation. Ernst however as he evolves as an artist cannot help but to bring some order to the painting. Notice the uniform one point perspective of the walls and flooring of the room. The world, to Ernst, is upside down and I can’t help but to think that it was on purpose that the blue that is above what I see as a room is actually the color of the sea not the sky. Arising from the chaos of WWI and living through the great influenza pandemic of 1919 the Dadaist artist must have had very little confidence in the logic and rationality that they blamed for these afflictions.

In this 1937 work “The Fireside Angel” we see more attention to detail and aesthetic than in the earlier Dadaistic work. Once again chaos threatens Europe as the Spanish civil war resulted in the ousting of the republicans by Franco’s fascists. In this oil on canvas painting we see Ernst reflecting on the political situation in Europe, emanating from his own Germany with the rise of the Nazi Party. The creature with its misshapen appendages, leaping or stomping away in response to the smaller being that seems to ripping away from it. Typical of the Surrealist’s art, the colors are vibrant and the composition unreal. Ernst calls into question the observer’s beliefs by labeling this monstrous figure an angel. He actually seems to be warning us that chaos is coming. He was right.
The similarities between Dadaism and Surrealism seem to end with the odd juxtapositions of the imagery. While Dadaistic works seemed not to have any rhyme or reason to the composition and by doing so making their “anti-art” statement, the Surrealist gave great thought into how the unconscious mind could be translated into their work. It is almost hard to believe that the same artist conceived of the pieces discussed here. Where Hydrometric is a seemingly random collection of shapes stacked upon one another, The Fireside Angel is clearly presenting a creature of some sort, however misshapen, that has purpose.
Although more closely related to the Dada movement as an anti-art ideology, Conceptual art is linked to Surrealism in that it tested the boundaries of art through the subconscious as an expression of the extreme avant-garde. Another avant-garde art movement was the Abstract Expressionism movement that developed in the 1930s. The Abstract Expressionists were profoundly influenced by Surrealism artists who came to New York during this timeframe. The Abstract Expressionist felt that the Surrealistic works aligned with their need to express their individual freedom. The Surrealism movement is seen as one of the most influential art movements in history and can be seen in contemporary advertising, literature, and Pop-Art. As Freudian ideologies are still taught and practiced in the world of psychology, so too, is Surrealism enduring and influencing todays artist.

References
Oxford University Press (2015). Dadaism and Surrealism. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordartonline.com/public/page/themes/dadaandsurrealism
Ernst, Max (1920). Hydrometric Demonstration of How to Kill by Temperature [Collage and gouache on paper]. Retrieved from http://www.collagemuseum.com/ernst001.htm
Ernst, Max (1937). The Fireside Angel [Painting]. Retrieved from
http://www.max-ernst.com/the-fireside-angel.jsp