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In the years during the first world war,this art movement called Dada
It was a really nonsense word,and the idea was creating kind of anti-art to challenge what the world was
the world was in flames, the world was in rages across Europe
the artist didn't want to have any part of it, they want to show how absurd and how dangerous the world have gotten
one of the artists was dada, his name was Marcel Duchamp
He ended create what we called Ready-Mades,what he called Ready-Mades
Some of them were Assisted Ready-Mades,where he
would take two objects existed in the world,and he put them together
and some objects were pure Ready-Mades,one of my favourites is called in Advance of a Broken Arm
We are looking at it on the left here.Just make it clear, this is in Advance of a Broken Arm
Exactly right.You have made that point out, because they were similar pieces.
On the right hand over here, which is a snow shovel.
And really they are not much different at all, are they?
no,they both seems like snow shovels.They are both snow shovels, except Duchamp takes his shovel out of garage or out of hardware store.
We looked it and we framed it, and say no, this is Ready-Made, this is something to look at and understand within aesthetic field
I am thinking what many people are thinking.Ok,he did that.It seems what he did was very cynical act.
which was like, here is art for you, are you jokers? I am going to buy a snow shovel and stick it in the museum.
I feel like he is like laughing at people.I think there is definitely cynicism here.
And I think this is very much related to objective of Dada, which was undermine the way which we value art in which we understood art
saying the world is becoming a place of chaos, a kind of dangerous chaos
And the artists want in some way have nothing to do with that any longer
So how can I most undermine, in the sense destroy the way which we had defined the art, to create a kind of anti-art
I think that's exactly right. Was he like the first person,because you know, we just talked about Warhol
Now someone took a piece of advertising to the museum
Warhol did that after Duchamp.Some degree, Warhol was
Warhol actually did some work.He actually painted the soup can.
But this guy, his way was ahead of time. He just bought snow shovel and showed it up.
Duchamp would say, however,define a perfect Ready-Made was not a easy thing
He went on a hunt, and most object did not suit his definition of what a perfect Ready-Made would be
He has created a kind of narrative.What do you think when you put that snow shovel together with the title?
He went to buy a snow shovel and called it in advance of a Broken Arm, which is kind fancy sounding title,
make you think a little bit. So I think you are absolutely right.Here is even more absurd part.We looked the photography not original in advance of a Broken Arm
actually the later snow shovel that he replaced the original after the first being lost in perhaps a snow storm
Oh, yeah,we read,August 1964 (fourth version,after lost original of November 1915) So I guess...Probably there are a hundred of originals
Imagine that this comes to the auction, went to the Sotheby's,went to the Christie's, one of the biggest auction houses, it's Duchamp, this is an important example of Dada
So the auction is going to start at some very high numbers, like starting at two million dollars,this is a priceless object, except that,
someone can walk in to the HomeDepot or going to the amazon, or their grandfather barn,walking into the show room with their own snow shovel. They would be no difference.
physcially,between the snow shovels that on the exposition for sale,for auction, another snow shovel is worthy 20.99
Physically identical snow shovel,and one was touched by Duchamp,and placed in the museum, and another thousand were not.
Because of that, this one could go for millions, so Duchamp is being cynical
In some way, he really is, he is trying to make art market transparent,trying to force us to grumble with how we define art is,
and how is important, maybe the art value is really misplaced in some way.And he also pointed something else,
which Art is not necessarily in 20th century,located in pratice of its making, located in the proficiency of the artist than their brush work
but it's located in sort of symbolic language that art can evoke,in a way that can transforme the way we see the world
So I actually become a bit of fan of Duchamp.I am also thinking about becoming an avant-gard artist.
I want to do art called it breath of air,I will go that location,just put a plucker
that would push thinking the art because it not even exsit. you know what, you missed your moment.
Because Art was made like that in 70s.Someone already created art that not existed,or exisited a kind of perfoming act. This one is a difficult one.I mean,I agree whatever you said.
like he is introducing this,he is challenging people's notion of art, challenging the art market, but in my minds he was doing it in very cynical way
I am going to put montana,make people to think it's art.what you think this name, in Advance of a Broken Arm?
in fact it cost same as five dollar snow shovel you can get HomeDepot.
you know, when we think about poetry,for example, we do not worry about the cost of typeface.We think about where that poetry brings us emotionally and intellectually,
It transforms us, it changes us. It's interesting that individual art we still so tied to the handicraft.
Duchamp is really distancing art from handicraft, making it into pure conceptual process.
He is sort of forcing that issue in an important way.He is really challenging 20th century,and made the contemporary art possible.
So that's interesting.like poetry, poetry is the idea of poetry, you can copy and paste that poem. So we can all share poetry. There is no physical words there
He kindly did the same idea.He took another shovel do it again and again. The art market does not necessarily to view in that way,
they view this shovel being somehow holy,the other shovel was made in the assemble line no one near holy
that's exactly right.In some way, Duchamp failed.in some way, the art market prevail despite his attempt undermine,
we still would auction it a very high price. We still differentiate these two shovels,
we still value one over the other.The object is connected to the conceptual even though Duchamp is really focused on seperating those things
Let's go back to the name.I can kindly buy some of this. He is really challenging what it is.His idea is putting focus on something like this.
At the same time,this title is a little bit...You can call snow shovel.what don't you call blank. why you have to say in Advance of a Broken Arm
I am not returning to know the exact original motivation were,but I think the cynicism we spoke before is exactly the point here.
Some of my students say they can imagine something slip on the ice and broke the arm
I can imagine that. you can call it a piece of in advance of a cherry pie.
I can imagine that after working a long day,shoveling the snow then I will go to eat a cherry pie.
I think there is absurdity really sensual to Duchamp's practice.He wanted us to bump up against the absurdity of that title,to be challenged by it. Fascinating!