Chapter 4

            I had a difficult time distinguishing between discussions of the Dada movement and the Surrealist movement in chapter 4. A significant portion of the chapter seemed to focus on the Dada movement, which in essence, appeared as a continuation of chapter 3. Early in the chapter, Apollinaire is mentioned and ideas of surrealism are brought up but there is immediately a shift back to Dadaism. It’s not until the introduction of the Bureau of Surrealist Research, that Goldberg began to discuss Surrealism in depth and it’s relation to and disconnect from the Dada movement. Page 89 gave more detailed information regarding definitive discussion of differences between the movements but I don’t completely understand the similarities and differences or why the author chose to place so much emphasis on the Dada movement in a chapter titled Surrealism.

            Another misunderstanding that I had was why there was so much animosity between the Dada movement and the Surrealist movement and even within the movements themselves. I understand that the movements had differences regarding conceptual beliefs and beliefs about how art should be performed; however, I don’t understand why the Surrealist felt the need for the Dadaist to accept that their movement was dead. (p 88) It appears that the Dada movement, particularly Tzara was beginning to fail and fall apart, yet rather than accept failure, Tzara and other Dada artist attempted to reinvent themselves and the movement. Artists such a Breton attempted leave the Dada movement because of their disagreements with the artistic direction in which Dada was going, as well as their participation in failed performances. There was discussion regarding these issues but I had a difficult time understanding the arguments and what specific tactics were used to legitimizes Tzara’s, Breton’s, and Picabia’s decisions regarding the Dada movement.