Intro to Avant-garde

            When I think of ‘avant-garde’. I think of Italian Vogue or something that exhumes high fashion or gaudiness. I believe that today the word avant-garde is used to characteristic art that is very unconventional and experimental. The art is not supposed to be logical or rational; it can be in films, music, sculpture, paintings and any other mediums. For example when I look into Italian Vogue and see the wardrobes the women are wearing I am perplexed. I am perplexed because although the clothes have deep rich colors and have a variety of textures, the clothing itself is not practical. The shoes would be enormous or the coat would be too large and long for the person, but this is what characterizes avant-garde. The wardrobe is not supposed to be for practical reason or be worn outside of a runway, the clothes is created purely out of the innovation and imagination of the designer. The art is supposed to be about the art, to focus on the details and overall compositions to the piece, so as to make the viewer ask why combine those different elements. An example of avant-garde art would be Manet’s Luncheon on the grass.

            Before obviously looking at the naked woman, the scene seems serene and relaxing. Two men are enjoying their conversation and a woman is wading in the water at the background. Then when your gaze has come across the entire painting you are pulled to see the naked woman. She is emphasized by the paleness in her skin, forcing the viewer to direct your eyes towards her. Once one sees her the whole painting loses all logic and narrative. Her pose is very relaxed and her gaze is directed towards the viewer as if he or she was included in the painting. Avant-garde focused on the innovative and unconventional and Manet’s painting achieved this. Back in the time that it was created nudes were highly appreciated by the art galleries, but the nude characteristics had to depict historical or mythical scenes, with women usually in a provocative or sensual pose. Manet challenged this stereotype of the nude female to draw a female that is shown nude, but is not showing any of her indecencies. She is very relaxed and has the energy that she belongs there. Aside from her the scene combines further objects and figures and convey avant-garde. The men are in conversation as if she was fully dressed. The men have no shocked faces upon them and the woman is not embarrassed about her state.

            What shocks the viewer the most though is her gaze, she looks at the viewer in a very calm expression. She is not exhibiting any sexual energy, so it seems awkward as to why she would be present in the scene. Manet captured this scene to be innovative, to go outside the box and push the limits of what art is and how society views it at the time. There is no clear indication to what is the background since the woman in the water is not scaled in proportion to the figures in the foreground. The scenery seems to be man-made and some of the objects look as if the artist was quickly painting it. The food scattered upon the floor in the foreground is random and appears unimportant. All these elements further challenge the viewer to make some sense of the painting. Manet was trying to create an art piece for the sake of art. He intended his brushstrokes to be very random and transparent to give his technique away to the viewer and the unconventionalism of the objects and figures further heightens the feeling of avant-garde. Much like the clothing in the high fashion magazines, the clothing is not to be seen as a wearable clothing, but as a unifying composition that asks the viewer what art is.

Final post

            I was very excited about this class because we would be touching upon the Renaissance and Enlightenment period. I am very drawn the Renaissance and Enlightenment period because I am supporter of science and reform. I also believe in being the best human being you can be and a way of achieving this is to be a rational and logical human being. In the middle ages many of the lower class was enslaved into the feudal system therefore had little time to create and imagine. Once the Renaissance period came, many travelers, merchants, and inventors were sharing their findings and spreading new ideas. The corruption of the Church led people to find their own meaning from the Bible and scientist were changing the very fabric of what humanity was. In the Enlightenment era many scientists and philosophers were again challenging the power of the Church through pure reason to create a more perfect society. Art was used as a sort of propaganda for the times to send messages across to the people and spread ideas. What I really like about the class though that although the class did touch upon my favorite times in history it brought forth artists I never looked into and made me appreciate the eras I love.

            What intrigued me most about the Renaissance and the Enlightenment era was the push to create the illusion of reality as much as possible. So humanism, realism, and idealism dominated these periods in various ways. Renaissance period artwork such as Michelangelo’s Moses combines all the stylistics characteristics of humanism, idealism, and realism. Moses is shown in perfect proportions following the canon of proportions of Polykleitos. His body is idealized, showing very muscular arms and the indication of sturdy powerful legs and the tablets in his arms show human achievement of how Moses was able to communicate with God and receive his laws upon humanity. I was fascinated by both the visual details of the piece and the historical context. I like realism and idealism, so Michelangelo’s Moses fits well into my spectrum of ideas. The polished look on his body compliments the skill of the drapery Michelangelo used to achieve the look of clothing.

In the late Eighteenth century during the Enlightenment period in France Louie XVI was in power and was sympathetic to the Enlightenment movement. His commission of Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David is another example of artwork that incorporates realism, idealism, and humanism. Humanism is depicted by the subject matter and message of the artwork. The three young men on the left are giving oath to their father while the women on the right are weeping for the men who are going to commit to the army. The men’s and women’s bodies are proportioned accurately, the architecture is sound and the use of value reflects the characteristic of realism. Idealism is shown in the subject matter and in the bodies of the men. The subject matter shows the men honorably giving their lives for the cause, while the father is so overwhelmed by their determination that it seems he is taken aback. The men’s bodies appear very masculine and strong, while the women are slim and supple. The painting seems to have a balance of the masculine with the feminine which gives the painting even further interests. The paining was revered so highly in France that it eventually became a message of self-sacrifice and patriotism. The ideas of the paining led men of the French Republic to overthrow the French monarchy and establish a republican democratic government.

The Renaissance Period and the Age of Enlightenment were times were ideas were plentiful and society was looking to improve itself. Artworks such as Michelangelo’s Moses and Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii inspired men to mold society to an ideal and humanistic society. To reach the level of perfection that only their ancestors would have dreamed of. Along with science and philosophy, art has paved and is still paving a new way of thinking in human society.On a side note the class also made me appreciate Baroque art!