Dadaism, at its heart is a nihilistic philosophy. It views the world as a disordered, chaotic place. This is reflected in the dadaist thinking of artists like Hans Arp, Kurt Schwitters, and Hugo Ball.

However, dadaism may not be so easily defined. It is based solely in the individual, and for this reason is difficult to define in broad abstract terms. It is a compilation of the ideas, thoughts and aversion of numerous different artists, who together define a dynamic almost organic field of study.

Most Dadaist thinkers, formed there ideas based on what they saw in W.W.I. The complete denigration of what was meant to be an ordered system, shifted the paradigm of thought for many artists. The dadaists lost faith in the system and tried to illustrate that the natural tendency toward decay that exists in the universe, also exists in civilization and society. It is not necessarily meant to be a pessimistic or existential view of the world, but more generally an acceptance of what is inevitable.

Different dadaists used their art to help them cope with the work-a-day world and preserver through what might otherwise be very bleak terrain. The two pieces displayed here are advertisements for dadaist conventions that are to be held. Both are done in the dadaist style and are lacking in order and basic design. The first titled Kleine Dada Soirée is by Kurt Schwitters and Theo Van Doesberg, who are German and Dutch respectively. It was published in 1922 and is distinctly dadaist for many reasons, not the least of which is word "DADA" printed in bright red in the background. The second poster is entitled L'eloge De Ilia Zdauevitch by Ilia Zde (Zdauevitch). He was a Russian. His piece is a poster for a dadaist convention at "Chez Hubert" in France. His piece is divided, seemingly cracked, echoing the cracks he saw in a society that had failed itself. Interestingly this piece is almost self contradictory in that it requires a map and conveys a straight-forward message. Two very ordered aspects that are not generally associated with the Dada movement.
 

L'eloge De Ilia Zdauevitch
Ilia Zde (Zdauevitch) : 1922

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