The avant-garde movements of Dada and Surrealism continue to have a huge influence on cultural practice, especially in contemporary art, with its obsession with sexuality, fetishism, and shock tactics. In this new treatment of the subject, Hopkins focuses on the many debates surrounding these movements: the Marquis de Sade's Surrealist deification, issues of quality (How good is Dali?), the idea of the 'readymade', attitudes towards the city, the impact of Freud, attitudes to women, fetishism, and primitivism. The international nature of these movements is examined, covering the cities of Zurich, New York, Berlin, Cologne, Barcelona, Paris, London, and recenlty discovered examples in Eastern Europe. Hopkins explores the huge range of media employed by both Dada and Surrealism (collage, painting, found objects, performance art, photography, film) , whilst at the same time establishing the aesthetic differences between the movements. He also examines the Dadaist obsession with the body-as-mechanism in relation to the Surrealists' return to the fetishized/eroticized body. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

About the Author
Dr David Hopkins is lecturer in Art History at Glasgow University. He is the author of After Modern Art: 1045-2000 (OUP, 2000); previous publications include Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst: the Bride Shared (OUP, 1988).

Reviews
In a relatively small space Hopkins manages a stylish presentation and analysis of two of modernism's most famous isms. * Bear Books *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192802545
Author David Hopkins
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 159g
Dimensions(mm) 174mm * 113mm * 14mm