1919
This artwork is typical of Dada. It uses collage from different sources and haphazardly places them on the same page. Each element might seem to have no meaning or connection to other elements, but in fact, what happens is that the meaning of every object is taken out of its original context to recreate a new one. For example: let's say you have a text in front of you. That text has a specific subject and makes sense on its own, but if you cut out words, move them around, and create a new text, you'regiving the same text a new meaning, you're changing the original story, and maybe your new story isn't even a story at all. The same can be done for images: you take only one element of the picture (for example: the background, or the model, or even just the purse in her hand) and you place it with other images to change its original meaning. What's more, that's still collage because you're cutting paper and pasting it on another surface.
- Find an example of text in this artwork that could have been re-contextualized (changed its meaning)
- Find the same thing but for a picture. Can you see what could've been a character from a circus? How about the body of a baby? What kind of head does it have now? Does it make sense the way the artist put it together? What could it mean?
