Response to Francis Picabia’s “Machine Turn Quickly” (1917)

Response to Francis Picabia’s “Machine Turn Quickly” (1917)

My response to this work of art is different than it might be for another work of Dada art. While Dada artists sought to distinguish themselves by creating art with no purpose, or art that means nothing, some pieces show this better than others. This work showcases an aspect of the supposed uselessness of art, it has no recognizable purpose but instead features two beautifully depicted gears. To me, this painting embodies an aspect of pointlessness and surrealism that was present in the world around Picabia. The turbulence of the time period, as well as the rapid modernization it embodied, are represented in Picabia’s machine oriented Dada works.

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