POST #15 – READING - DISCUSSION – ARSON AND MANSFIELD MODERN ART EXCERPTS

5 Points:

1. Constructivism emerged in post-revolutionary Russia as an artistic movement focused on using abstract, geometric forms and industrial materials to serve society through practical design and production. 
2. Vladimir Tatlin, a founder of Constructivism, developed constructed sculptures like Counter-Reliefs and envisioned monumental works like the Monument to the Third International that symbolized the ideals of the new Communist society. 
3. Aleksandr Rodchenko expanded Constructivist ideas into photography, graphic design, and kinetic sculpture, using bold diagonals, movement, and modern typography to represent a dynamic new world. 
4. Dada was born in Zurich during World War I as a rebellious, anti-war movement that rejected traditional art, embraced chance, noise, absurdity, and performance, and challenged the logic of Western culture. 
5. Marcel Duchamp transformed modern art through his readymades like Fountain, redefining art as an idea chosen by the artist rather than something made by hand, shifting art from “retinal” to conceptual. 

Discussion: 

Can Dada, with its creativity, universality, unforgettable anti- establishment, absurdity, mass media-influence, and its irreverent and irrational humor be seen as a precursor to today’s internet and social media culture? Are we challenging the norms and continuing to blur the line between art and everyday life with today’s technology - social media memes, gifs, podcasts, etc.? What do you think? Use examples and/or analogies.

I beleive that Dada can be seen as a precursor to today’s internet and social media culture because it embraced absurdity, anti-establishment ideas, mass media, and the blurring of art with everyday life. Just as Dada artists used collage, found objects, shock value, and irrational humor to challenge what “art” was supposed to be, today’s memes, GIFs, TikToks, podcasts, and viral edits change existing media into new meanings. Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, which turned a urinal into art, is similar to how a random screenshot or low-quality image can become a viral meme. Both Dada and the internet reject traditional hierarchies, invite mass participation, and use humor and chaos to critique politics, identity, and society. I think today’s technology continues Dada’s mission by making everyone a creator, further dissolving the boundary between art and daily life.