Marcel Duchamp's readymade Fountain(1917) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marcel Duchamp's readymade Fountain(1917) - Essay Example Fountain was rejected in 1917 despite the obvious advancement it made to the contemporary art movement in America. Not everybody then, or even now looks at a urinal and thinks of it as a fountain. However, if you look closely at the design it is a fountain. A fountain provides clean water. A urinal also provides clean water to wash away urine. Duchamp wanted viewers to look beyond the purpose of the urinal and into a natural beauty. The gleaming white porcelain, gracious curves, and geometrical shape of holes in the back are all beautiful when taken into consideration by themselves. Duchamp wanted his readymade to be a contradiction. A thing normally thought of as disgusting could be beautiful and a piece of art. Today Fountain is seen as one of the most influential pieces of the 20th century. Fountain also can be viewed in a historical context. This piece was displayed during World War I. While many men were dying in trenches in Europe, rich men were using urinals without a thought. While men were dying in their own urine and feces wanting a drop of water, men were flushing these objects without a thought away from the war. Duchamp was showing the differences between a poor soldier and a rich businessman.