Originally a French term, meaning in English, vanguard or advance guard (the part of an army that goes forward ahead of the rest). Applied to art, means that which is in the forefront, is innovatory, which introduces and explores new forms and in some cases new subject matter. In this sense the term first appeared in France in the first half of the nineteenth century and is usually credited to the influential thinker Henri de Saint-Simon, one of the forerunners of socialism. He believed in the social power of the arts and saw artists, alongside scientists and industrialists, as the leaders of a new society. In 1825 he wrote: 'We artists will serve you as an avant-garde¿ the power of the arts is most immediate: when we want to spread new ideas we inscribe them on marble or canvas¿ What a magnificent destiny for the arts is that of exercising a positive power over society, a true priestly function and of marching in the van [i.e. vanguard] of all the intellectual faculties!' Avant-garde art can be said to begin in the 1850s with the Realism of Gustave Courbet, who was strongly influenced by early socialist ideas. This was followed by the successive movements of modern art, and the term avant-garde is more or less synonymous with modern. Some avant-grade movements such as Cubismform, others such as Futurism, De Stijl or Surrealism have had strong social programmes. The notion of the avant-garde enshrines the idea that art should be judged primarily on the quality and originality of the artists vision and ideas. for example have focused mainly on innovations of form, others such as Futurism, De Stijl or Surrealism have had strong social programmes. The notion of the avant-garde enshrines the idea that art should be judged primarily on the quality and originality of the artists vision and ideas.
Source:
Avant-Garde is simply defined and described as something that "now", it is "cutting edge". The term comes from 'Van guard', a military term that was used when elite forces lead the way through the opposition ranks for everyone else to follow. The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. Obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_(military_formation).
Avant-Garde is a concept associated with art. It is deeply modernist, with ideas of 'taking things forward'- being progressive. The concept of avant-garde in relation to graphic design splits into two groups, elitist and conformist. The elitist view is an experimental one, where only graphic designers will understand and appreciate other designers work. This is through using their existing knowledge to communicate an idea that only a select few will understand. The conformist designer sacrifices personal style for ultimate transparency- it is seen as unoriginal because it uses existing styles and rules that are already recognised within society because of what they signify and because of the connotations they hold. It is generally used to communicate to the masses.
Marcel Duchamp would be one of the first examples of Avant Garde design with his 1919 'L.H.O.O.Q' re-work of the famous Mona Lisa painting. This was 'new' at the time, it was a bold move which was taken well, and also, not-so-well. To be 'avant-garde' you don't have to be successful in gaining approval from a wide audience.
Even something such as a change in colour or brushstroke which would now seem minor became avant garde, for example 'The Fauvists', who were a group of self taught artists, bent the existing rules of art by changing these things to challenge themselves and their viewers.
Within the educational system you are taught to copy artists styles and approaches. Is this perhaps subconsciously breeding unoriginality and linear thoughts? Or is it that you first need to know everything you can on a subject before you can really begin to bend its rules and create something new? If this is the case then surely nothing is avant garde because you have seen it all and cannot help a level of unconscious 'inspiration'? -many questions.
There is a level of hierarchy within art and design. Fine art is still more highly regarded than other creative practices because it has existed for so long, so has had time to be accepted by society. However, the fact that most fine art is commissioned or created to be sold means that it is just as commercial as graphic design, which does not imply that fine art loses value, merely that one shouldn't be valued over the other- times have changed.
No comments:
Post a Comment