Modernism 3: Suprematism, Dada, and Surrealism

Suprematism

A uniquely Russian innovation and contribution to the international art world

European cultural life

Ever since the late 1700s, there was an effort in Russia to connect with the rest of ______ (3 words)

western influenced

There was a concerted effort of Russian artists to be more “_____” in their work

avant garde

The art movement the World of Art Magazine (b. 1898) was devoted to

World of Art Magazine

One of the most important steps to Russian artists’ incorporation of “western influence” in their work. Responsible for introducing avant garde movements into Russian art life (culture)

Fauvism and Cubism

The two avant garde movements that the World of Art Magazine published works on

collection of French modernism

By 1915/1914, there began to appear a _______ in Russia (_ of _)

Communist takeover

Russia’s exposure to the avant garde led to Suprematism, beginning after the _____

Soviet Union

The name of Russia after it became a communist state

Malevich

Largely responsible for the ideas of Suprematism

Suprematist, political

_____ ideas regarding art and ____ ideas at the time before, during, and after the formation of the Soviet Union are inseparable

communist, philosophical, cutting edge

Suprematism, similarly to the early years of _____ thinking, was highly ____, well read, and had an eye toward being on the ______ (2 words)

new, old

Malevich quote: “civil war between ___ and ___ art is still going on”

press, censorship

Malevich claimed the rear guard had been waging a struggle with the innovators by means of ____ and ____

old state, innovators

Malevich claimed the October Revolution smashed the foundations of the _____, recognizing the ______ in art

October Revolution

The event that led to the formation of the Soviet Union. Very much connected with ideas of Suprematism

very interested

Malevich was ______ (2 words) in both Fauvism and Cubism

Black Square

Piece by Malevich, having taken the extreme conclusions of Fauvism and Cubism. Done before the revolution in anticipation

reeducated

Malevich’s simple, non-representational pieces were based on his idea that the everyday working class needed to be ______

ignorance

Malevich believed the working class had been kept in ____ by the czarist state, exploiting their labor and compromising their ability to think or learn new information

revolution

Suprematists saw the ____ as a way to break free of what they considered an outdated Russian mindset stuck int he 1500-1600s

intended audience

Black Square can be difficult for us to understand because we are not Malevich’s ______. Meant to teach basic blocks, shapes, and colors

secular

Malevich considered his non-representational, simple pieces as the ___ equivalents of Russian orthodox icons

church, reintroduce

Because many Russians were exposed to art through the ___, Malevich decided to _____ art in a similar way

building blocks

Malevich sequenced his non-representational pieces as _____ of art, progressing from a black square to a piece with 8 red blocks

The World of Non-Objectivity

Malevich’s big book

“pure feeling in form”

What Malevich’s The World of Non-Objectivity defines Suprematism as (4 words)

arrangement

In the case of Malevich’s pieces, form constitutes an ___ of color and shape

religious icons

Malevich believed he could replace ______ with simple blocks: not so far-fetched considering the recent revolution and new government, culture, and world

artistic purity

What much of Modernism strives toward. Removing anything artificial to make a distilled version of art. Each artist’s specific version differs

Suprematist Painting (Eight Red Rectangles)

Another piece by Malevich, more complex than his Black Square

non-representational art

Art with no identifiable subject matter, not referencing anything beyond itself

internal, inward

Non-representational art is entirely ____ or ____ focusing, not representing anything more than itself

beyond, mirror

Non-representational art subverts the idea that art must always point ____ itself and hold up a ____ to what it is saying, reflecting a real thing from the real world

formal interest

Dada as a movement has very little ____ to it (focus on colors, shapes, expressing through colors and shapes)

outgrowth

Dada is an ____ or response to WWI

deeply

Artistic and intellectual communities were ____ impacted by the tragedies and political turmoil of WWI

phoenix

Metaphor for what many thought WWI would be prior to the conflict

European

WWI entirely upended ___ culture

under scrutiny

Traditional forms of culture, society, and politics came _____ (2 words) after WWI

reason/logic

Dada artists concluded that there was no ____ behind the war after searching, and that it was irrational

Switzerland

The country where Dada was born. Neutral during WWI and where many artists fled when the war began

randomly

The name “Dada” was chosen ____

“hobby horse” or “yes yes”

The two translations of Dada

nonsense

“Dada” is meant to be a ____ word

unclear

It is ____ which language dictionary Dada artists used to name themselves

frivolous, critique

Dada is not entirely ____; there is always an element of social/political ___ to it

irrationality

Dada sought to speak out against the _____ or the world through performances and artworks

radical, institutions

Although humorous, the Dada were a ____ questioning and the established _____ of art and politics

war

Dada answered the question of, “now following the ___, what art will you make?”

irrational

Dada’s conclusion: If art is meant to reflect society, and we know society to be ____ following this war, shouldn’t art be _____? (the same word in both blanks)

let us down

Inbuilt to Dada is this idea that traditional institutions of power in society have _____ (3 words), so we must question them, because something is wrong

Hugo Ball

One of the leaders of first wave Dada

Zurich Dada

Name for the first wave of Dada

Cabaret Voltaire

Where Hugo Ball performed his sound poem, Carlotta

Carlotta

Hugo Ball’s nonsense performance with a recitation of nonsense words. Pronunciation would differ based on speaker or day

chants, incantations

Carlotta recalled shamanistic practices, ___, and _____

audience

An important component to Carlotta - becomes part of the work at random. Part of the irrational spontaneity of the work

Collage Arranged According to the Laws of Chance

Zurich Dada piece by Jean Arp. Another example of spontaneity, where colored paper was dropped on another piece of paper and glued wherever they fell

artistic production

Arp’s spontaneous collage sought to remove the act of _____ (2 words) as much as possible from the artist

Marcel Duchamp

The big name in Dada and the one we most readily associate with the movement. Had some connections with Zurich Dada but launched into his own career following Armory Shows

Armory Shows

Series of very famous modern art shows, considered America’s first introduction to avant garde European art with all the big hitters, including Duchamp

Nude Descending a Staircase

Piece by Duchamp. Received unfavorable reviews. Intended to be a sly critique of Cubism and claimed he wanted such reactions

explosion in a shingle factory

One critic described Nude Descending a Staircase as an ________ (___ in a ___)

negative responses

Following ______ to his Nude Descending a Staircase, Duchamp switches to a form of art he called “readymades”

Readymade

According to Duchamp, an everyday object elevated to the status of art through the choice of the artist. Often “found objects” claimed to be chosen at random

Bicycle Wheel and Bottle Drying Rack

Two examples of objects Duchamp used in his Readymades. Found them outside and did little or nothing to them before putting them on display

found objects

Pieces that the artist did not have any part in making

revisit

Duchamp had the tendency to ____ his work, where he would return to some of his older themes and replace the original date on the objects with a more recent one

Fountain

Duchamp’s most famous work

Salon des Independents

Its organizers claimed they would accept anyone who paid a fee - very avant garde at the time - but nonetheless rejected Duchamp’s Fountain, proving they still clung to traditional ideas of what is art despite being avant garde modernists

“What makes something art?”

Duchamp is all about this question

art, artist

Duchamp exposes the truth that the only thing that qualifies something as ___ is an ____ claiming it to be so

assumptions

Although we rarely acknowledge it, art is bound by the same cultural and socioeconomic _____ as everything else

conceptual art

Duchamp’s exposure of what constitutes art will become essential for this movement. Ties right back to Duchamp and his works

conceptual gymnastics

Duchamp’s subject matter

French, New York

Duchamp’s Dada is sometimes referred to as the ___ Dada or the _____ Dada (it’s just Duchamp)

Berlin Dada

The third iteration of Dada

Berlin Dada

Much more explicitly political in its subject matter and goals

Heartfield

Berlin Dada artist who made works criticizing Hitler and the rise of the Nazi party in Germany

photo montage

Using layering and multiple exposures of different photographic images to create a disjointed, humorous result

Have no Fear, He’s a Vege-tarian

Piece by Heartfield criticizing Hitler and France’s ignorance of him and the Nazis based off the assumption that they won’t go after them

rooster

Animal traditionally associated with France, represents France in Heartfield’s photo montage

Hitler

The figure depicted sharpening a blade in Heartfield’s photo montage

Nazi, obsession

Once Nazis assumed complete control of Germany, Heartfield fled Berlin, as he had done a lot of works criticizing ___ ideas and ____ around Hitler

found images, political work

Heartfield uses Dada through this strange mash-up of ____ (2 words) to create a ______ (2 words)

Surrealism

A literary and artistic movement that grew out of the Dada movement in Paris

Litterature

The journal that wrote about and discussed Surrealism - where authors wrote down their thoughts and ideas

Andre Breton

Credited as one of the leaders of Surrealism

predictable, academic

Breton was connected with French Dada, but felt it had become too ____ and almost “_____,” so he called for a new source of inspiration

the irrational, unconscious mind

Breton’s new source of inspiration after parting with Dada

Sigmund Freud

The psychologist that the Surrealists take many of their ideas from

struggles

Freud proposed that the rational, conscious mind _____ against the irrational, unconscious mind - the hypothesis is the basis for Surrealist art

tap into

The primary goal of Surrealism was to ____ (2 words) the irrational, unconscious mind - their version of achieving artistic purity

automatism

Stream of consciousness

stream of consciousness

Getting a paper and writing until you began thinking about what you’re writing about. Has a Dadaist impulse: even if done irrationally, it can be art because I call it so

superior, dreams

Breton: “Surrealism is based on the belief in the ____ reality of certain forms or associations that are neglected, such as ____ and the disinterested play of thought”

Dreams

Played an enormous role in Surrealist art - the idea that they allowed you to tap into the irrational, unconscious mind was prominent

Salvador Dali

Readily associated with Surrealism, pioneered his paranoiac-critical method

paranoiac-critical method

When a sane person creates a visionary reality from their own visions/dreams and psychological/pathological distortions. Very much inspired Freud’s psychoanalysis. A sane person creating art as if they were insane