Okay so lemme just spill how this whole "dada vs surrealism" rabbit hole went down for me this past week. Honestly, it started kinda dumb.
I saw this old train ticket stub lying around, totally forgotten in a drawer, next to a busted watch that stopped working ages ago. For some reason, it just clicked – hey, wasn't Dada all about nonsense and random junk? Figured I'd try making something deliberately stupid, no meaning allowed.
The Dada Mess-Up
First thing I did was basically ransack my place:
- Dumped my toolbox on the kitchen table – screws, washers, pliers, the works.
- Grabbed my kid's abandoned crayons and half-used coloring book.
- Found that ticket stub and the dead watch.
- Tore a really ugly page outta some old, boring economics textbook.
- Oh, and found an expired coupon for yogurt. Why not?
Slapped glue everywhere like a drunk toddler. Stuck the ticket upside down on the textbook page. Smashed crayons over it. Poured glue, sprinkled screws. Glued the watch right where some graph was. Slapped the yogurt coupon over some text. It looked like a total disaster zone. My partner walked in, looked at it, and just said "...what is that?". Perfect! Point to Dada. Didn't mean squat, felt kinda liberating, honestly. Like yelling into a void.
Then Came The Weird Dreams
But doing that pure nonsense stuff? Got old fast. Felt kinda shallow after two days. That's when Surrealism bit me. Was doodling while half-asleep one morning, barely awake after weird dreams about melting clocks and having conversations with my coffee machine. Decided I needed to chase that vibe.
Started trying to paint what that dream feeling was like. Messed up my painting setup:
- Cleared the kitchen table again (still sticky from Dada glue).
- Set out watercolors and nicer paper this time.
- Made a huge, strong pot of coffee. Essential fuel.
- Started sketching quick – melting shapes, weird fish-things flying, gears mixed with organic stuff like leaves.
Tried painting with my eyes half-closed, trying to remember that fuzzy dream state. Ended up with something kinda unsettling – a clock that looked like dripping cheese next to a fish with human eyes, all in muddy blues and greens. It meant something, but god knows what. It felt heavy though, and strangely familiar. It was trying to tell a story my awake brain couldn't quite grasp. That was the surrealism hook.
The Realization Hit
Here's the thing I finally figured out while covered in glue and coffee:
- Dada: Pure chaos. Grab whatever, mash it up, screw meaning. It’s punk rock vandalism for art. Feels rebellious but... then what?
- Surrealism: Chaos you kinda recognize? Like a dream that slips away when you wake up. It’s trying to dig deeper, get messy with your own brain, even if you can't quite understand it. It bites harder, sticks around in your head.
My Dada mess? Fun for five minutes, then I just wanted to clean it up. The surrealism painting? Creeps me out a little even now. Keeps me thinking. Turns out I need a little meaning, even if it’s weird.
Bottom line? Dada kicks down the door yelling nonsense. Surrealism whispers a riddle that might unlock something later. Needed to trash things for a while to appreciate the puzzle. Glad I tried both sides.
