“I 've always enjoyed feeling a connection to the avant-garde, such as Dada and surrealism and pop art. The only thing the artists can do is to be honest with themselves and make the art they want to make. That 's what I 've always done.” -Jeff Koon
In general, the world in the early 20th century witnessed a varied of artistic productivity. Dadaism and Surrealism, both innovative movements had an enormous impact on society and culture in general. And have a big influence in defining Modernism. Dada and Surrealism were rebellious orientations that are similar in answering what is happening from incidents and also thinking ways from all over the world and their ideas in the early 20th century. We can say that both movements rejected in the beginning but after a while both were accepted, they gave a way to add a new type of art.
What and when
Actually, both, Dadaism and Surrealism came from totally various aims and time periods. Dada started in 1915 till the early 20th century. In the other hand, Surrealism began in the early 20th.
Dada (Dadaism), it was a movement born out of the horrors that happened and was happening in the wartime, the movement wanted to revolt against World War I. It was against everything that encouraged the massacre during the four years from 1914 till 1918. This movement advanced very fast into a highly innovative art which aim to ruin and destroy the values of the controlling and ruling foundations that had a big influence to let the war happen.