Post 4 – Dadaism and More

Marcel Duchamp

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What is art?

That’s what Marcel Duchamp sought to answer in his work. He had a revolutionary impact on the definition of what art is. Duchamp was a pioneer of Dada, an art movement with the purpose of, well, questioning what art should be.

Marcel Duchamp began his artistic career as a painter and first rose to fame after painting his infamous Nude Descending a Staircase, a strongly conceptual piece that shocked viewers. Soon, though, simply painting was not enough for him. As he stated, he “was interested in ideas—not merely in visual products,” and painting no longer cut it for him – he sought to further explore art.

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That’s when Duchamp began making ordinary objects into art. This creative exploration was not well received by critics when first introduced, but soon turned the world of art upside down. Duchamp called these works “Readymades.” These sculptures were made from common mass-produced objects. Using these seemingly unremarkable objects in his art caused Duchamp to redefine the meaning of art – his work, unlike most past artists, did not use carefully handcrafted items. His use of these objects-turned-art was a visual translation of him saying that art does not have to be beautiful; the idea is more important than the aesthetic.

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Duchamp was not only a pioneer of Dadaism but an inspiration to later movements such as Conceptual art, Pop art and Op art. His daring ideas have made him one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.