Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain"

 This sculpture, titled “Fountain”, was one of Marcel Duchamp’s “readymades”, or every day object transformed into art (photo taken by Alfred Stieglitz, 1917). Duchamp took an ordinary urinal, rotated it, and signed it with the pseudonym “R. Mutt.” According to Duchamp, art is simply anything that an artist claims it to be. However, this piece was denied entry to the Society of Independent Artists exhibit in 1917.

Duchamp stated that his artwork reflected his sense of irony, humor, and ambiguity. This third characteristic is imperative when analyzing this sculpture with an absurdist’s lens. Despite a urinal’s apparent singular function, Duchamp found another with this sculpture. By doing so, Duchamp showed that we, as humans, may not be able to understand the complexity of such seemingly simple objects. There are an infinite amount of uses for a urinal, but our views are confined to only the most obvious of functions.

Furthermore, the fact that Duchamp’s sculpture was denied from the Society of Independent Artists exhibit further exemplified it as absurdist art. According to philosophy-index.com, a key view of absurdism is that the world is constantly hostile towards humanity. Therefore, since the artwork that Duchamp had created was unappreciated and ridiculed, it was as if the world was being cruel towards him.

Absurdism; An Overview

Absurdism is a philosophical perspective that was manifested from the similar ideologies of nihilism and existentialism. Followers of absurdism believe that it is futile for humans to try to seek for meaning and rational explanations in the universe (newworldencyclopedia.com). Contrary to nihilists though, followers of absurdism believe that there are underlying meanings in the world, but they are beyond human capability to grasp. According to NewWorldEncyclopedia.com, “Absurdism implies a tragic tone and feelings of frustration that arise out of the contradiction between the human quest for the meaning of life and its inaccessibility.” Furthermore, absurdist views state that humanity must live in a world that is constantly hostile or indifferent towards them (philosophy-index.com). This tone has become apparent in many works of literature, as well as impacted multiple artists’ work.

Using the ideology of absurdism, an author is able to convey the fruitless efforts of their characters trying to discover “absolute truths” when in reality, there is not always only one explanation. Authors can successfully employ this perspective by choices in their plot. For example, if the protagonist never comes to a solid conclusion to explain “why” or “for what purpose”, the author is implying that it may not be possible for the characters to ever know.

This style allows for scholars to interpret and debate literature and art, rather than come to one unified (and thus boring) conclusion. Through an absurdist lens, the audience can question the purpose of a piece of art, whether it is a sculpture or a novel. Overall, an absurdist lens allows creativity and involves a more in depth analyzation of art and literature.


Works Cited

"Absurdism." New World Encyclopedia 28 May 2008 Web.28 May 2009.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Absurdism

"Absurdism." Philosophy Index (2009) Web.28 May 2009. http://www.philosophy-
index.com/existentialism/absurd.php

"Absurdism Summary/Study Guide." eNotes (2009) Web.28 May 2009.
http://www.enotes.com/absurdism