Evolution of Nihilism from Formalism to Ready-mades

By removing objectivity, the concept of art was separated from the object of art; thus, massive changes occurred in the concept of art. However, the nihilism that existed in modern art also flowed into postmodern art. The present study aims to identify the roots and types of nihilism in postmodern art, especially Duchamp's readymades, compare it with the present nihilism at the height of modern art, i.e., formalism, and find its similarities and differences. The present study employed qualitative research, descriptive-analytical research method, and library and internet research. The research question is what variations have nihilism achieved in modern art, especially formalism, and in the art after it, especially Duchamp's readymades? The results show that, in formalism, there is a kind of passive nihilism based on political nihilism and a type of nihilism based on the nominalist approach to aesthetics. However, in Duchamp's readymades, in addition to the negation of political nihilism, there is a positive and active nihilism in his works, in which the artist realizes the meaninglessness of truth. But by using the process of creative action and transference methods and then creating hyper-irony, he passes the level of this senselessness and builds his art on this senselessness. Considering the spread of formalism and conceptual art in the world, especially in Iran, it seems necessary to study their hidden nihilistic influences.