Plate VII from "Fiat modes pereat ars" (Let There Be Fasion, Down with Art)
『生まれよファッション 滅びよ芸術』VII
- Birth Year
- 1891
- Death Year
- 1976
- Date
- 1919
- Technique, Material, Format
- lithograph
- Dimension
- sheet: 45.5 x 33.0 cm
- Category
- Print by Foreign Artist
- Inventory Number
- 83-PRF-002-07
This is regarded as Leaf VII in an eight-leaf portfolio. On the left is a large cone, and on the right is a gourd-shaped male figure with his legs together. He has two penises, on his face and crotch, and he is staring at a woman projected onto the cone. There is a tear at the top of the cone, under which there is a round bar piercing through. In the upper right corner is the text "ZUR NEUEN KUNST? DD" (Towards new art? DD), and below the cone is a mathematical formula written backwards: "h = √-3 da2." The formula is interpreted as representing the scale of three Dada members (Max Ernst, Hans Arp and Johannes Baargeld). The cursive text below, "feiner hund und Gemeinschaft" (smart dog and community), is a reference to psychologist Sigmund Freud’s book On Narcissism. And further below that is a quote from Ernesto de Fiori (1884–1945), an artist who represented the previous generation: "finger weg von der hl. cunst" (Don't touch the sacred art).
(NAKAMURA Naoaki)