Fountain
Factual Information:
Artist: MARCEL DUCHAMP
Period:1917
Period:1917
General Information:
The Dada art movement was a protest movement, against war and the traditional view of art. It had a main strategy, to shock the viewer with its nonsensical art. The followers of the movement praised the nonsensical, saying that the world doesn't make sense, the world doesn't work off logic or rationality. They protested the logical viewpoint with art such as this one, Fountain. This urinal was shown off in a art exhibit by Marcel Duchamp as a piece of art, to protest the art establishment. He questioned what people saw as artwork by simply buying a urinal about to be thrown out, writing R.Mutt 1917 on it then renaming it as a fountain. People often attempt to look into the meaning of the work, but there never was one, a part of the common theme of nonsensical art that was the Dada movement.
Why This Artwork?
This artwork was chosen to show the Dada movement and the type of artwork that was considered Dada. This artwork carrys many of the characteristics of the Dada movement such as being nonsensical, as well as being an important artwork because of the criticism that ensued bringing much publicity to the movement.