Dada

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dada

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the philosophical stance?Nihilism, absurdism, and anti-rationalism
2. What is the artistic strategies?Embrace of chance, collage, photomontage, and readymades
3. What is Dada art?Dada was a playful, surprising art movement that used absurd ideas and everyday objects to challenge what people thought art should be.
4. Why did artists start Dada during World War I?They were upset by the war and felt that the usual rules of art and society had helped cause it, so they wanted to break those rules.

Nihilism: The belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.
Readymade: An ordinary manufactured object selected by the artist and presented as art, challenging notions of authorship and originality.
Anti-Art: Art that rejects traditional aesthetic values and conventions, often aiming to provoke or question the very definition of art.
Chance Operations: Artistic processes where elements of randomness or unpredictability are incorporated into the creation.