Art After War: the Road to Modernism
George Bunkall
Art after War: The Road to Modernism
An idea, regardless of the intention, is the most powerful weapon we humans have at our disposal. It is not the guns, medicine or manpower that conquers a nation or settles social turmoil, but the influence of the ideas behind them and in some cases the propaganda. An idea can become a movement for social change or it could turn a whole nation against itself. Whether it’s the justification of slavery or the global expansion of Catholicism, propaganda has always been used and will continue to be used by those in power seeking roles to influence a population for their benefit. Propaganda is not always an inherently corrupt tool –it, to some extent, allowed for US involvement in both World Wars– but it can certainly be used as such.
Many ideas, movements and even lifestyles, such as fascism, surfaced in the early days of the twentieth century. They were new and radically different, but their origins were rooted deep in Europe’s history. Each movement was linked to one another, connecting in different places and different times, woven like a web. They overlapped each other, oftentimes addressing the same questions, and could often be traced back to earlier movements. One such example is Surrealism and it’s origin in Dadaism. While Dadaism was an initial negative reaction to World War I and fascism, it lacked structure or purpose and in turn lost relevance; Surrealism, on the other hand, took ideas of Dadaism and created new ideology with a purpose in telling subjective truth. These truths were often believed to be revealed through dreams and would usually criticize violence or fascism. Contrary to popular belief, Dadaism and Surrealism are not restricted to visual art, but also literature, music, dance and even fashion. However, it should be noted that one couldn’t truly understand the relationship of Dadaism and Surrealism without examining the social and political context of Europe at that time. That is, the
Art after War: The Road to Modernism
An idea, regardless of the intention, is the most powerful weapon we humans have at our disposal. It is not the guns, medicine or manpower that conquers a nation or settles social turmoil, but the influence of the ideas behind them and in some cases the propaganda. An idea can become a movement for social change or it could turn a whole nation against itself. Whether it’s the justification of slavery or the global expansion of Catholicism, propaganda has always been used and will continue to be used by those in power seeking roles to influence a population for their benefit. Propaganda is not always an inherently corrupt tool –it, to some extent, allowed for US involvement in both World Wars– but it can certainly be used as such.
Many ideas, movements and even lifestyles, such as fascism, surfaced in the early days of the twentieth century. They were new and radically different, but their origins were rooted deep in Europe’s history. Each movement was linked to one another, connecting in different places and different times, woven like a web. They overlapped each other, oftentimes addressing the same questions, and could often be traced back to earlier movements. One such example is Surrealism and it’s origin in Dadaism. While Dadaism was an initial negative reaction to World War I and fascism, it lacked structure or purpose and in turn lost relevance; Surrealism, on the other hand, took ideas of Dadaism and created new ideology with a purpose in telling subjective truth. These truths were often believed to be revealed through dreams and would usually criticize violence or fascism. Contrary to popular belief, Dadaism and Surrealism are not restricted to visual art, but also literature, music, dance and even fashion. However, it should be noted that one couldn’t truly understand the relationship of Dadaism and Surrealism without examining the social and political context of Europe at that time. That is, the
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