Введение XX century

XX th century is the period, when effective plumbing equipment was spread, but awful sanitary conditions were at the same time.

During First World War the hospitals received different medical vessels, folding bidet.

In XX th century toilet related items continued to appear in the works of art. Let’s remember French artist, art theorist Marsel Duchamp. He started from easel painting. His works fell into Autumn salon. Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet, art critic, mentioned them in exhibition overview.

Marsel Duchamp became first artist who used the technique ready-made. It means that an author takes an object which made not by him and not as work of art and put it in art context. It’s assumed that a spectator can open new features of this object. The technique ready-made is consonant to what the representatives of Dadaism, modernist direction in world art of first quarter of 20th century, confessed. The features of Dadaism are irrationality, unsystematic, negation of any limitations in art.

Most famous ready-made by Duchamp is “The Fountain” from 1917. It’s turned usual urinal with the inscription «R. Mutt». “The Fountain” was offered for the exhibition of Society of Independent Artists. The dispute was started on this occasion. It was decided not to exhibit scandalous work.

“The Fountain” was demonstrated and photographed in the gallery of Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, Maecenas. The photo with the exhibit was posted in American Dadaist magazine “The Blind Man”. The discussion about can we consider “The Fountain” as a work of art was published there.

We have to say some words about Alfred Stieglitz. At the beginning of XX th century he published the magazines about photographic art, ruled photographic galleries in USA. He introduced American public to the works of large representatives of modernism in European art.

Marsel Duchamp said about the installation: “…taking usual household item I positioned it so that its utilitarian meaning disappeared under pressure of another name and another approach”.

In XX th century such things as shumeks continued to be used with high tech plumbing. Shumek is like smoking pipe or a whistle. But in fact it’s wooden diaper. Wide part is attached to a baby by the cloth during a sleeping. A urine flows in vertical capacity which is called tuvak. The shumeks are meet in some eastern regions still.

XX th century gives us the examples of using of plumbing equipment of different level. It depended on financial situation of the people, surrounding conditions, the traditions.