DADA

I chose to analyze the artwork of Francis Picabia. The image to the right, L'Oeil cacodylate (The Cacodylic Eye), was produced in Paris in 1921. According to the audio description accompanying the piece, Picabia set up a canvas in his hospital room while undergoing treatment for an eye condition and had all of his visitors sign the canvas, as well as add puns, aphorisms, pictures, etc. It seems that this piece utilizes the DADAist techniques of collage and typography. One of the ideals of DADAism is to break down the barrier between art and everyday life. In my opinion, this collage is akin to taking a birthday card that has been passed around the office and putting it on display in an art museum. Picabia also utilized typography in a way, even though he didn't use conventional typographic design. The puns and aphorisms on the canvas convey a direct meaning that makes the artwork seem more alive, and makes the artist seem real. Additionally, the various handwritings and colors used give the impression that many people collaborated on this work of art (which they did), thereby upholding the "group art" aspect of DADAism.

The next piece I analyzed is entitled Réveil matin I (Alarm Clock I) and was created in 1919 for use as an illustration on the title page of the journal Dada, no. 4-5. The details this artwork describe it as a line block reproduction of an ink drawing. I think that this piece uses a form of the concept of the readymade. The mechanical clockwork depicted in Picabia's piece looks like it has been taken straight from a technical manual describing the inner workings of an alarm clock. Although this work is not a true readymade since he actually drew it, the notion that a monochrome sketch of a few gears is art is certainly resonant of DADAism.