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The Neo-Dada period represents a return to the Dada style of art, which took place in the early 1900s. Neo-Dadaism lasted from approximately 1950 until 1960, and its artists attempted to depict real life as they saw it, using primarily paintings, sculptures, and collages compiled at least partially from found objects. Robert Rauschenberg's definition of art reveals much about the goals of Neo-Dadaism: "I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art. Art has everything to do with life, but it has nothing to do with Art” (Mediation). Thus, Neo-Dadaists saw art as a means to reflect reality, much like a mirror.

Citations:
https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/neo-dada/
https://www.artsy.net/gene/neo-dada
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/n/neo-dada
https://mediation.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-Rauschenberg-EN/ENS-rauschenberg-EN.htm

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Neo-Dadaism was started in New York by a group of musicians and artists whose goal was to redefine (and critique) social and aesthetic norms. This movement represented a return to Dadaism and was named after renowned French artist Marcel Duchamp. Though the Dada style of art probably depicted more banal and ironic objects and actions, such as Duchamp's Fountain (a urinal) and L.H.O.O.Q. (the Mona Lisa with a mustache), the Neo-Dada movement returned to its predecessor's irony and focus on reality. Major creators during this period include Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and John Cage.

Citations:
https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/neo-dada/
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/movement/neo-dada

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Neo-Dadaism originated as a strong, opposing reaction to the current style: Abstract Expressionism, a very popular movement. Sources indicate this was one of the first times an American style caught the attention of Europe (thus, essentially the entire world) and even shifted the world's focus on art from Europe to the States, specifically New York. However, the Neo-Dadaists rejected abstraction and sought to find meaningful reality in art. One assumption they championed was that an art piece's meaning was defined by the viewer, not entirely the artist.

Citations:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm
https://www.artsy.net/gene/neo-dada

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One key contributor to Neo-Dadaism was American painter Robert Rauschenberg. In 1951, Rauschenberg created his famous series of pieces called White Paintings. He created these works by painting multiple canvases white and putting them together. His original set included five, ranging from three- to eight-panel paintings. Influenced by Duchamp's Dadaist value of redefining art, Rauschenberg followed suit; the main goal behind the white painting series was to redefine art. Based on the time of day and position of viewers passing by, the shadows and light on the paintings would be adjusted. Thus, the White Paintings were constantly changing and depicting something different. By this, Rauschenberg demonstrated that he wanted to eliminate self-expression in art. Rather, he intended for his artwork to serve as mirrors and reflections of the surrounding world's reality.

Citations:
https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/neo-dada/
https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/artwork/untitled-portrait-four-panel-white-painting-black-mountain
https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/galleries/series/white-painting-1951
https://mediation.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-Rauschenberg-EN/ENS-rauschenberg-EN.htm

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This is another highly interesting piece from Rauschenberg. This combine, a coin termed by Rauschenberg himself that indicates an art piece that combines painting and sculpture, went through three different phases and four years of experimenting until the artist was satisfied. The final product, as it stands today, features a large stuffed goat with a tire around its waist, standing on top of a mostly flat board that is both painted and stuck with a few slightly protruding objects. The work is several feet high, wide, and long. The title, Monogram, comes from the way the tire and the goat interact; a monogram is when multiple letters combine to form one character. In total, Rauschenberg used "oil, fabric, printed reproductions, metal, wood, a rubber shoe-heel, and a tennis ball on two conjoined canvases, with a goat head through a rubber tire placed atop it" in Monogram (Hasta). Through this piece, Rauschenberg questions the purpose of art and role of the artist. By using so many media, particularly through combining elements of sculpture with paintings, he, in the words of one source, "effectively destroyed painting" (Hasta).

Citations:
https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/art/art-context/monogram
https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2016/december/06/the-meanings-in-robert-rauschenberg-s-monogram/
http://www.hasta-standrews.com/features/2020/10/21/how-rauschenbergs-monogram-destroyed-painting

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John Cage is one of the most famous Neo-Dada musicians. Inspired specifically by Rauschenberg's White Paintings, Cage composed his famous piano piece 4'33". This is essentially the musical version of Rauschenberg's White Paintings. Cage's 4'33" is an entirely silent piece. Despite the  prevailing silence, this piece had three movements and lasted 4 minutes and 33 seconds, hence the title. In fact, according to Cage, the composition was indeed not silent (contrary to what the audience may have thought). In reality, true silence does not exist. The background will always be full of at least some accidental sounds or noises. So, by not playing a single note during his piano performance, Cage intended to reflect the reality of the surrounding environment, much like Rauschenberg did with White Paintings. Although immediate listeners reacted with confusion and harsh criticism, later critics deemed 4'33" "the pivotal composition of the century" (Classical Music).

Citations:
https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/neo-dada/
https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/what-is-the-point-of-john-cage-433/

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Cage composed another famous (or infamous, depending on the view) piece that he named Theater Piece No. 1. This debuted in 1952 and was performed at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Here, Cage and Rauschenberg met and began working together. Although 4'33" was a bold statement, so was Theater Piece No. 1. This composition intended to break the current rules and redefine music and art; a listener may draw parallels to Stravinsky's unique, jarring ballet music. This piano piece was a key work that paved the way for Neo-Dadaism to proliferate. Much like Rauschenberg's combines, Cage's music included several other media. In Theater Piece No. 1, in addition to a piano performance, there were several unscripted portions, a poetry reading, dancing, other music, projections of photographs on slides, film, and more (The Art Story). Most fittingly, Rauschenberg's four-panel White Painting hung above the in the form of a cross. One of the key assumptions Cage challenged was the idea of scripted order. Before the performance (many people performed during this "piano" piece), Cage gave very broad instructions to his performers. They were free to experiment, play, or perform however they liked. Cage strongly emphasized chance in his works. This style is called aleatoric music.

Citations:
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/neo-dada/

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Jasper Johns was strongly influenced by Rauschenberg. Beyond artwork, the two men actually had a romantic relationship. In terms of art, Johns admitted that Rauschenberg's style totally changed his own. From then on, Johns' art became Neo-Dadaist and depicted common themes such as flags, maps, and targets.

This encaustic painting, aptly titled Flag (1955), captures the essence of Neo-Dadaism. The piece is simple; the artist leaves no room for interpretation. This stands in direct contrast with Abstract Expressionism, the current style in the United States which Neo-Dadaists were trying to uproot, which was all about subjective expression and genius of the artist. Johns' inspiration for the piece was also strikingly simple: one night, he had a dream about painting an American flag, so the next day, he started working on Flag. This further reveals the Neo-Dadaist desire to reflect real life, which usually took the form of common, everyday objects, such as an American flag.

Citations:
https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/jasper-johns-most-famous-works-1234604541/
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78805#:~:text=Flag%20was%20made%20on%20a,penciled%20outline%20of%20the%20flag.