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The Resurrection of Art: Moving on from Dada
Breakpoint with Charles Colson ^ | April 4, 2006 | Charles Colson

Posted on 04/04/2006 7:36:28 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback

Why would well-heeled folks dress up to attend a fancy gathering where they could admire a urinal? Because it’s art, of course! Or, at least, so they think.

This spring’s Dada exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., celebrates what the Washington Post describes as “the most radical, irreverent, rule-breaking movement in the history of Western art.”

In case you’re unfamiliar, the term dada means exactly what it sounds like: nonsense. As H. R. Rookmaaker described it, Dada “was a nihilistic creed of disintegration, showing the meaninglessness of all Western thought, art, morals, traditions.” It raises the common to the level of the revered. Hence, Marcel Duchamp sticks a urinal on a wall and titles it “Fountain.”

It’s odd that the movement’s fans laud it as great art, because Dada by definition seeks the demise of art. Echoing Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, Nathanael Blake writes at Townhall.com, “to abolish art, you declare a manufactured urinal to be a masterpiece.”

Some say the Dada movement continued the destruction of art that began with cubism, which preceded it. German Dada artist Kurt Schwitters said he built “new things . . . out of fragments.” Post writer Michael O’Sullivan describes Dada as “a putting back together of a broken, senseless world [after World War I], only not with the glue of logic, and not in any sense back to the way things were.”

And there, you see, is the problem. Dada sees the fragmentation of the world—and celebrates that brokenness. But true artists “do not merely reflect the world’s brokenness,” writes Erik Lokkesmoe in BreakPoint WorldView magazine. “The truth-telling artists, rather, also remind us there is more to the story . . . and call us to rise from our defensive crouch to again pursue the faith, hope, and love that abide even in the valley of death.”

“In every time and place and in every culture,” writes Jerry Eisley, founder of the Washington Arts Group, “art has ultimately flowed from worship.” However, artists since the early twentieth century have abandoned the “idea of an ideal measure of goodness and truth linked with beauty.” The splintering and extreme individualism that characterize modern art are indicative of the spirit of the postmodern age. Yes, this world is broken, but the role of the artist is to point us toward wholeness.

Art is not dead, however, nor has the Church abandoned it, as illustrated by the resurgence of Christians in the arts—people like Lokkesmoe and Eisley. And another believer whose art flows from her worship of God is Kim Daus-Edwards. Kim’s latest work is her book of photographs, Force of the Spirit, that “represents a surrender to the idea of the holy through the medium of photography.” These black-and-white images are coupled with Scripture and draw in the viewer to meditate on universal truths. “Even though we may turn away from it, the Spirit’s power is ever-present and emerges regularly in our lives,” she says.

The world may be broken and seem random, but that is not the end of truth. And true art points toward the ultimate restoration of our fallen existence. Too bad the National Gallery of Art doesn’t realize that.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: breakpoint; itaintart; moralabsolutes; nakedemperor
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To: Mr. Silverback
For those curious: Tada...! Dadaism


21 posted on 04/04/2006 10:04:10 AM PDT by sully777 (wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

I totally agree with you. In the beginning, it was fun! And never meant to be taken seriously. When fools started to think they could elevate themselves by seeing some imaginary meaning in it did it really become a pain in the @$$. Like the Oldenburgs, totally! Who really needs a giant lumpy melted ice cream cone in the middle of the park? But the original dadaists, even if they were "anti-artists" had a really cool visual style mixed with humor that was quite appealing. I think it had a positive influence on graphic design, even if a negative one on "fine art".


22 posted on 04/04/2006 11:28:34 AM PDT by To Hell With Poverty ("This is our Common and we're going to stay here until we leave!" - Random Boston Commie)
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To: Mr. Silverback

I think the art elites are easily entertained.


23 posted on 04/04/2006 11:33:25 AM PDT by TexanToTheCore (Rock the pews, Baby)
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To: NaughtiusMaximus

Well, I refuse to make room for dada. :-)


24 posted on 04/04/2006 12:07:52 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback ("I was in such a hurry to climb that tree, I punched a squirrel.")
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To: sully777
I'm more partial to surrealism. Dream-like imagery and the sensations of the subconscious are fascinating in a way Dada only hinted at.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

25 posted on 04/04/2006 1:48:29 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Mr. Silverback
I have four criteria for what I consider to be great art. They have seldom led me wrong.

  1. It must be a work of great craft. If the artist cannot manipulate the medium to intended effect, it is not great art.
  2. It must be entirely original. Good retreads are not great art.
  3. It must forever change the way the viewer experiences the world. Great art opens up one's perceptions to new ideas and ways of "seeing."
  4. It must teach something new or appear different every time you interact with it.
This set of criteria obviously disqualify the vast bulk of what we see as "modern art," but is in no way restrictive. As you will see in this link, this qualifies as great art.
26 posted on 04/04/2006 2:27:05 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (There are people in power who are truly evil.)
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To: Carry_Okie

I studied religious art while in seminary. The thesis was that art reaches its highest form when it inspires the observer to experience the numena, the ethereal. Seems like so much drivel to me today.
I don-t know anything about art but I know what I like.


27 posted on 04/04/2006 8:25:03 PM PDT by Louis Foxwell (Here come I, gravitas in tow.)
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To: Mr. Silverback
Storm Warning to the Art World: Everything is going to Change!
28 posted on 04/04/2006 8:31:46 PM PDT by kanawa (My dog ate my tagline)
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To: Mr. Silverback
Then: dada

Now: doo doo

29 posted on 04/04/2006 8:47:57 PM PDT by Captainpaintball
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To: goldstategop

Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Salvador Dali (1937)


La muchacha en la ventana by Salvador Dali (1925)
30 posted on 04/04/2006 11:06:51 PM PDT by sully777 (wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
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To: r9etb

Some nihilistic artists are and were capable of producing fine works of art, including Picasso, Duchamp and Man Ray. Much of their output was puzzling at best, but one is astonished at the rare gems, for example Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase." If Duchamp had never joined any group or uttered any nonsensical opinions, the work would be seen today for what it is: a beautiful expression of man's longing for the sublime. Did Duchamp have an ulterior motive for the piece? Probably. And so we dismiss it as a grand con. The painting is weighed down by its century.


31 posted on 04/04/2006 11:13:36 PM PDT by ashtanga
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To: goldstategop
Metamorphosis and other Dali pieces seemed to have influenced Gerald Scarfe, IMO. Scarfe was used for Pink Floyd's The Wall. Here is some of his work. If you've seen the movie, the artwork is astounding. He also helped Disney bring the story of Hercules to life.



32 posted on 04/05/2006 12:15:11 AM PDT by sully777 (wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
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To: conservativepoet

You're welcome, of course.


33 posted on 04/05/2006 6:41:41 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback ("I was in such a hurry to climb that tree, I punched a squirrel.")
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To: sully777

I don't know why that one qualifies as dada...I mean, it looks like a real painting. :-)


34 posted on 04/05/2006 6:53:47 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback ("I was in such a hurry to climb that tree, I punched a squirrel.")
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To: Mr. Silverback

In 1925 an American painter made the most significant statement of his own "ism". Working without the benefit of copying the "masters", this painter made compositions from his ideas about the great American western landscape.

MAYNARD DIXON "CLOUD WORLD"

35 posted on 04/05/2006 7:07:10 AM PDT by Utah Binger (Southern Utah, where the world comes to see America!)
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To: Mr. Silverback
I was there yesterday. We got there just in time to 'experience' an electronic piano concert. What a waste of seven or eight baby grands! They (he?) could have done Rhapsody in Blue but, no. I escaped this cacophony by heading into the exhibit area. I have a $20 landscape painting over the monitor which holds more interest for me than anything I saw in there.

Thankfully, there's also a French Impressionist exhibit which salvaged this foray into the arts.

36 posted on 04/05/2006 8:35:30 AM PDT by pa_dweller (South of the border - a phrase fast losing its meaning)
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To: Liz; Joe 6-pack; woofie; vannrox; giotto; iceskater; Conspiracy Guy; Dolphy; Intolerant in NJ; ...

Art ping!

Let Republicanprofessor, me or woofie know if you want on or off the art ping list.

A thread with a religious theme, but pertinent.


37 posted on 04/05/2006 8:49:09 AM PDT by Sam Cree (Delicacy, precision, force)
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To: Mr. Silverback


Wife (clutching her chest in exhileration): "His struggle is man's struggle."
Husband: "He's a loathsome, offensive, brute...yet I cannot look away." 
38 posted on 04/05/2006 8:55:06 AM PDT by sully777 (wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
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To: sully777

I'm not a tremendous fan of Dali, though I still admire his work, and even his showmanship. I own a book by him on classical painting technique that is pretty good, even though filled with his own witticisms.

I much like that painting of the girl in the window...although dreamy, it hardly looks surreal. Am I missing something in it?


39 posted on 04/05/2006 8:55:14 AM PDT by Sam Cree (Delicacy, precision, force)
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To: Sam Cree

Am I missing something in it?



Dali couldn't do feet well


40 posted on 04/05/2006 8:57:22 AM PDT by sully777 (wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
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