Dada and Surrealism

Usually I read these sorts of books when I know little or nothing about the subject in question. In this case, however, I had a considerable familiarity with surrealism and dada. Still, I found this book provided an excellent historical overview of both movements. The greater and even the not-quite-great figures are all present and profiled and their contributions put into context. I thought the level of analysis was actually a cut above what you usually get in these sorts of introductory guides and yet the text remained clear and accessible; even those readers already somewhat knowledgeable about dada and surrealism are likely to find a few fresh and challenging insights. ((Two caveats: the major impact of WWI on the Dadaists struck me as seriously understated and the revisionist groping for "gender correctness" anachronistic and distorting.)) In the end, you can't go wrong with this handy little book if what you're looking for is a concise and intelligent dada/surrealist breviary. If, like me, you've read a lot of the primary texts and are a long-time fan of the artistic product of both movements, but found that you've done so in a haphazard and piecemeal fashion, this book will gather up and organize those pieces for you. You'll feel like you took that class in art history that you never -though you wish you had--taken in school.

As a person with an enduring fascination and respect for the early Dadaists I found this introduction offered a very good and (despite the title) in-depth coverage of most aspects of Dada and Surrealism. The theme is comparison and contrast and also the development of thematic elements in both currents: how they rose to, or challenged each other and society. The basic differences in Dada as Anti-Art and Surrealism as Art-for-arts sake is well considered. The latter bourgoeise taste was very much derided by the original Dadas. The political development of both groups is also analysed, their stances on feminism, colonialism and mass movements. The one thing that I found not covered in this book -- and is also not covered in most books on this subject is, how two movements with such anti-establishment themes fared in the sometimes authoritarian societies that spawned them... how for example were the German Dadaist allowed to escape the Freikorps and later the Nazis? What did Franco think of Dali and Picasso? Some French Dada/Surrealists such as Andre Breton were able to escape from Vichy France to America, but what about the others...? In short, although both streams rebelled against the main thoughts that dominated society -- they were almost all consumate individualists -- how were they able to do so? Since most Dadaists survived WWII I must surmise that either Hitler left them alone, or they lowered their profile to such a degree that they become insignificant. But again, since they were at the forefront of criticising the automaton man that society produced in WWI, the question remains, how did they manage to avoid getting it in the neck when the rest of the world was racing headlong into the twin dispairs of Fascism and Communism?