Fountain
12:00 AM |
| Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917 |
Scandalous and controversial, Fountain was rejected by the Society of
Independent Artists in 1917; however, the rules of the society stated all
entries would be accepted by those who paid the fee. Duchamp was on the
committee board and secretly submitted his work. After the work’s dismissal,
Duchamp decided to leave to board.
Dada became one
of Duchamp’s numerous themes that he chose to incorporate in his work. While in
New York, Duchamp gained notoriety within exclusive groups. Although the
origins of Fountain are disputed, it
is clear the piece instrumental. One story of Fountain’s creation comes from a letter written by Duchamp to his
sister. He writes, “One of my female friends who had adopted the
pseudonym Richard Mutt sent me a porcelain urinal as a sculpture.” There are
two women who are rumored to have fit the description; Baroness Elsa von
Freytag-Loringhoven and Louise Norton.
The problem people saw with Fountain was the fact the artist did not create it. It was simply a
urinal turned nighty degrees. Yet, people argued the artist did not need to
create his piece; the beauty of it was that he picked it. Duchamp challenged
people not to look at his piece and think of a bathroom, but look at it as a
piece of artwork. That was the point of many of Duchamp’s ready-mades. Akin to
the Dadaist movement that challenges authority, the idea of a ready-made
challenged conformity. Unfortunately, Fountain
was lost, or as many say thrown away by a janitor at the exhibit. That theory
only reinforces Duchamp’s ideas that society was so set in their ways, it was
impossible to change.
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