was reflected in his art. He was one of the leading members of the Berlin Dada movement, which was
known for photomontage and assemblage. One of Hausmann's most well known works is "Spirit of Our
Time". Finished in 1921, the piece is an assemblage of many common tools and devices on a wooden head.
Spirit Of Our Time is Hausmann's metaphor for his fellow Germans during this time period.
Hausmann's purpose is given away immediately by the title for the assemblage.
The human form of the head captures what Hausmann's believes is the essence of the people of his time.
The head is a wooden dummy's head, it lacks expression or feeling. There are no memorable or special
qualities. The head is symmetrical and simple. There are no pupils in the eyes, no ears, and no hair. The
man has lost his uniqueness. This wooden dummy is what Hausmann saw as the typical man of his post
WWWI era. He is a very basic human; he lacks sophistication.
Quite unlike the beauty and complexity of past sculptures of the human form, Spirit of Our Time shows a
different sort of man. The artwork confronts an issue that does not involve the anatomy of the human
body, but an issue with the human mind. The head is not a realistic interpretation. Hausmann purposely
chose a head which had a dull look that lacked expression. What is most noticeable, however, are the
objects attached to the wood. The objects are common devices such as a ruler and parts of a typewriter
and watch. They are devices of measurement and information. The tools attach to the wood like they are
a part of the human head. The ruler curves down the forehead as if it no different form the skin.
There are instruments stuck to the sides seemingly replacing the ears. The head has been transformed
into its own form of instrument.
Hausmann implies that, like the assemblage, people have become slaves to the "devices" around them.
They have become dependent on these things to make decisions. Hausmann was disillusioned with the
lack of creativity and emotion: The human condition was losing what made it human. People were more
like wooden assemblage, unable to let anything into their minds, relying solely on tools and devices to
survive . He created this piece to warn that the "spirit" of his time was not really a spirit at all.
People had become cold and mechanical.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raoul-Hausmann