Dada:
The
Dada movement began in 1916 in Zürich, Switzerland and ended in 1920. Since it
came during the period of World War I, many thought that it was it that started
the war. Other movements such as Futurism and Cubism influenced the Dada
movement. Dada included collages, photography, sculptures and paintings.
Designers and artists of that time were well known for everyday readymade
objects.
Hannah Hoch was a designer at that time. She created
collages and photomontages while promoting women to work creatively in the
society (The so called ‘New Woman’). In her collages she used and critiqued the
society around her and also politics. Hoch used multiple sources to make her
photomontages. Other Dada and Surrealist artists where inspired by her.
Cut With the Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar
Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany 1919-20
Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar
Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany is a collage and photomontage made between
1919 and 1920. It is 35 x 57 inches. For this she used words and images cut by
a knife from newspapers and magazines. In the top right corner on can find
anti-Dada figures of the Weimar government and representatives of the old
empire. Everywhere else in the collage are supporters of the Dada movement such
as Raoul Hausmann. Hoch changed how things/people looked like by just replacing
some part of the object/human by another. One can see this in the top right
hand corner where Kaiser's moustache was replaced by a pair of upside-down
wrestlers. This piece was exhibited in the First International Dada Fair in
Berlin in 1920, it was one of the most popular pieces in the show.
Hannah Hoch in her studio, 1976
Video: https://youtu.be/9E1cA3j_xY8
Other artists were inspired by Hannah Hoch and her
creations:
Collage inspired by Hannah Hoch, Flickr user grigiabot, N/d
Collage inspired by Hannah Hoch, Flickr user Rebekah
Armistead, n/d
Clothing inspired by Hannah Hoch, Celine AW14, n/d
References:
Art Deco:
Art Deco takes us back to the 1920s till 1930. It is also
known as style modern because it developed into major styles in Western Europe
and in the United States. This style was first exhibited in Paris in exhibition
called Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes and
from then they started calling it Art Deco. This movement represented modernism
which later turned into fashion with products including both luxury and
mass-produced.
Art Deco Design, n/d
Art Deco consisted of streamlined, geometric and stylized
forms made with plastic, jade, silver, ivory, obsidian, chrome, and rock crystal.
Due to the industrial revolution, these forms were made with machinery and were
mass produced. Though Art Deco objects were rarely mass-produced, the
characteristic features of the style reflected admiration for the modernity of
the machine and for the inherent design qualities of machine-made objects
(e.g., relative simplicity, planarity, symmetry, and unvaried repetition of
elements). Art Deco was influenced by other movements such as Art Nouveau,
Cubism and Bauhaus.
Art Deco Design, n/d
Coco Chanel was a revolutionary fashion designer at the time
of Art Deco. The French designer is famous for her trademark suits, timeless
designs and little black dresses. She started in the fashion industry when she
first opened a hat shop but later she opened her first clothes shop in 1910. The
1920s were big success for Chanel; she launched her perfume and later on her
iconic suit and the little black dress. Chanel wanted Women to feel comfortable
in their clothing.
The Little Black Dress:
Coco Chanel wanted women to feel comfortable in their
clothing. In 1926 she designed the iconic Little Black dress. The mourning
colour was now chic evening wear. It was a simple short black dress that was
featured in the famous fashion magazine Vogue. Celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn
and Marilyn Monroe wore this dress with pride and they showed that women can
actually rule the world.
Marilyn Monroe in the Little black dress, n/d
The Little Black Dress inspired multiple fashion designers
such as:
Givenchy, 1961
Dior, n/d
Dior, 1950s
I personally really love the Art Deco era because of the
beautiful designs that were made. Coco Chanel is one of my favourite fashion
designers and when I see her designs I feel really inspired. The little black
dress is seen everywhere even nowadays and one can say that almost every women
has that one little black dress that feel like they can conquer the world when
wearing it.
Videos:
