Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2015
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Art and Art History
First Advisor
Dreiss, Joseph
Second Advisor
Garmon, Carole
Major or Concentration
Art History
Abstract
This research focuses on the readymades of Marcel Duchamp and the impact made by these influential "anti-art" sculptures on the value of aesthetics in art. Duchamp's readymades and the concepts that informed them have had a profound influence on art since the mid 20th century. In American art, Duchamp's influence is a determinant of the art of the Neo-Dadaists of the 1950s, whose works blur the line of distinction between art and life. Readymades were created by Duchamp as a solution to what he called "retinal art," and were intended to provoke thought from the viewer on the nature of art more so than to illicit a response to the visual object. Duchamp's readymades were initially met with much disparagement. Though some art critics look fondly on Duchamp's experimental art, many take a decidedly negative stance. One such critic, Donald Kuspit, believes strongly that the work of Duchamp signals the end of fine art altogether. Because of its denial of aesthetics, Duchamp's work has had major consequences which both positively and negatively affect the nature and value of the aesthetic experience.
Recommended Citation
Parrish, Alexandra M., "A Critical Reassessment of Duchamp's Readymades and his Antiaesthetic of the Ordinary" (2015). Student Research Submissions. 103.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/103