Assignment #5: Between World Wars

  1. Dada was an artistic movement that began in the early 20th century in Zurich, Switzerland. It began as a reaction to World War I and the nationalism that many people thought had caused the war. Dada artists usually used readymade objects and everyday objects that can be bought and presented as art with little manipulation by the artist. The use of readymade objects questioned the artists' creativity and the definition of art as well as its purpose in society. Dada was a way of criticizing society through art. It also broke away from traditions and ridiculed conventional rules. For this reason, humor and irreverence played a significant role in these artworks. Dada was known for rejecting the aesthetic values of previous art styles. The world did not make sense to these artists who were experiencing world war I. An example of a Dada artwork is Woman with a Head of Roses by Salvador Dali. It was painted in in 1935. Dali often replaced the human head with other heads or objects. He did this in order to express his dislike of the lack of intelligence and excess of perfume of the rich people around the surrealist group.
  2. Jacob Lawrence was an African American painter who is best known for his portrayal of African-American life. He was also an educator. Lawrence defined his style as "dynamic cubism". However, his primary influence was the shapes and colors of Harlem. Lawrence was also influenced by social struggles and international artistic trends. He used blacks and browns juxtaposed with vivid colors in order to depict the African-American experience. An example of his work is Home Chores painted in 1945. In this painting, Lawrence depicts the everyday life of African-America women. We can see how Lawrence uses a dark and thick brown to represent an African-American woman doing home chores. We can also see the use of vivid colors in her dress, the floor and the background.