Dada And Militarism Analysis

Introduction
In the early 1910’ s both Europe and America experienced an artistic revolution. This revolution took the form of Dada, an anti- art movement that broke down several boundaries within the art world. Dada’s iconoclastic attitude was unconventional and challenged the limitations of a society that had brought about the First World War. The unpredictability of the movement shocked the public, a public who the Dadaists purposely provoked in attempts to convey their message and bring about change. The following analysis will clearly demonstrate how the characteristics of unconventionalism, unpredictability and conveying information or messages to an audience, define the meaning of entropy. The definition of which according to problemistics.org

It simultaneously acts as an artistic revolt and protest against the destruction created by the war. According to theartstory.org ‘The title refers to the decadence of pre-war German culture, metaphorically criticising humankind's lack of humanity.’ To further its anti-war stance the photomontage also includes several key wartime figures one of which wa s Kaiser Wilhelm II, who led Germany into the war. Hoch replaces his well-known moustache with two wrestlers, satirically revealing him for who he was, an enemy of Dada. Below him is the head of General Paul von Hindenburg, which is placed on top of a belly dancer’s body, again comically indicating Höch’s negative attitude towards him. Jackson Spielvogel notes that throughout the piece ‘one major theme emerged: the confrontation between the anti- Dada world of German political leaders and the Dada world of revolutionary ideals.’ The Dada world stands in stark contrast to the nationalism society that Höch lived in where political support for the war was conventional and perceived as necessary. This is evident in The First International Dada Fair in 1918, where ‘Cut with the Kitchen Knife Through the First Epoch of the Weimar Beer-Belly Culture’ was originally