The Art That Changed the Rules: Dada and Surrealism

Dada and Surrealism emerged as significant art movements in the early 20th century, primarily as a reaction to the devastation and absurdity of World War I. In this course, we explore their origins and the artists affiliated with both movements. We will look at Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Jean Arp, Hannah Höch, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and more for the Dada movement and surrealists including Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Meret Oppenheim.

We will begin with the anti-art movement of Dada, which arose as a reaction to tradition, convention and rationality. These artists embraced chance and randomness as a form of art making, influencing generations of artists working with increasingly varied materials and techniques. We then will discuss how Surrealism used some of these techniques to capture the inner workings of the mind through dreamlike imagery.

This course will takes place on 10 a.m. to noon PDT Mondays at the Thousand Oaks campus or on Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Register

Register by Sept. 25, 3 p.m. PDT