Dau al Set
Encyclopedia
Dau al Set (ˈdaw əɫ ˈsɛt), the first post-World War II
artistic movement in Catalonia
, was founded in Barcelona
in October 1948 by poet Joan Brossa
. The avant-garde
group had connections to the Surrealist and Dada
ist movements and stressed the importance of both the conscious
and unconscious
in their works. The group's name, Catalan
for "the seventh face of the die
", expressed its rupturist character.
The group had a popular magazine journal of the same name, Dau al Set.
The group was inspired by the early works of Max Ernst
, Paul Klee
and Joan Miró
. Members of Dau al Set included Joan Brossa
, Antoni Tàpies
, Joan Ponç, Arnau Puig, Modest Cuixart, Juan Eduardo Cirlot
and Joan-Josep Tharrats
. Antonio Saura
, Enrique Tábara
, and Manolo Millares
were occasional contributors to the magazine journal. Dau al Set opposed both Formalism
and the formal art centers.
The group dissolved in 1954.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
artistic movement in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, was founded in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in October 1948 by poet Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo (Barcelona, Catalonia,(1919–1998) was a Catalan poet in the Catalan language, playwright, graphic designer and plastic artist. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Set (1948) and one of the...
. The avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
group had connections to the Surrealist and Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
ist movements and stressed the importance of both the conscious
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and unconscious
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
in their works. The group's name, Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
for "the seventh face of the die
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
", expressed its rupturist character.
The group had a popular magazine journal of the same name, Dau al Set.
The group was inspired by the early works of Max Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
, Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
and Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. Members of Dau al Set included Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa
Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo Joan Brossa i Cuervo (Barcelona, Catalonia,(1919–1998) was a Catalan poet in the Catalan language, playwright, graphic designer and plastic artist. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Set (1948) and one of the...
, Antoni Tàpies
Antoni Tàpies
Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tàpies is a Catalan painter. He is one of the most famous European artists of his generation. After studying law for 3 years, he devoted himself from 1943 onwards only to his painting...
, Joan Ponç, Arnau Puig, Modest Cuixart, Juan Eduardo Cirlot
Juan Eduardo Cirlot
Juan Eduardo Cirlot Laporta was a Spanish poet, art critic, hermeneutist, mythologist, and musician.-Biography:Cirlot was born in Barcelona to Juan Cirlot and Maria Laporta...
and Joan-Josep Tharrats
Joan-Josep Tharrats
Joan-Josep Tharrats i Vidal was a Catalan painter, art theorist and publisher.Born in an industralist family, his father was the businessman and poet Josep Tharrats i Vilà. From 1932 to 1935 he lived in Béziers, before relocating to Barcelona where he studied at the Escola Massana...
. Antonio Saura
Antonio Saura
Antonio Saura was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties whose work has marked several generations of artists and whose critical voice is often remembered.-Biography:He began painting and writing in 1947 in Madrid while suffering from...
, Enrique Tábara
Enrique Tábara
Luis Enrique Tábara is a master Ecuadorian painter and teacher representing a whole Hispanic pictorial and artistic culture....
, and Manolo Millares
Manolo Millares
Manolo Millares was a Spanish painter. Self-taught as an artist, Millares was introduced to Surrealism in 1948. In 1953, he moved to Madrid and became an abstract painter. In 1957, Millares along with Antonio Saura and Pablo Serrano founded the avant-garde group El Paso in Madrid...
were occasional contributors to the magazine journal. Dau al Set opposed both Formalism
Formalism (art)
In art theory, formalism is the concept that a work's artistic value is entirely determined by its form--the way it is made, its purely visual aspects, and its medium. Formalism emphasizes compositional elements such as color, line, shape and texture rather than realism, context, and content...
and the formal art centers.
The group dissolved in 1954.