ART AND AVANT-GARDE: THE CHALLENGE OF THE STATUS QUO

Georges Braque (Wikimedia Commons).

 A DEFINITION OF ART

In order to study or even understand the concept of Avant-Garde, we need to first define art, as the two are interrelated. According to a definition, as there is not a generally agreed upon definition, art is “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. (1)

Art is related to the subjective or creative aspect of humans, versus science, which relates to the objective aspect. In short, art may be thought of as a subjective creation which appeals to our emotions. 

There’s a distinction between Fine Arts and Minor Arts. The first typically includes painting, sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, theater and dance. However, nowadays more expressive forms have been added, such as film, photography and video (Installations or other). While Minor Arts include less “noble” forms, such as graphic design, pottery, arts and crafts, etc. Decoration is included in the Minor Arts, whereas Interior Architecture is considered one of the Fine Arts.

Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986), the Russian movie director, in Sculpting Time wrote that “The purpose of art is to explain to the artist himself as well as to others why is man alive, what is the essence of his existence, to explain to men why he appeared on this planet, or at least to pose the question”.

DEFINITION OF AVANT-GARDE

Avant-Garde, a French term, may be defined as high art. The term arose from the army, meaning the vanguard; in reference to the forward forces. We could dwell on theory, however, this is not within the scope of this book (We could have focused on subjects such as aesthetics, beauty or kalos, etc.). 

To practically understand Avant-Garde look at the works of cubist painter Georges Braque (1882-1963) or Andy Warhol’s (1928-1987) iconic Campbell Soup cans and his portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. Or, examine Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). One of his miniature metal sculptures caused a stir as he dared to depict a working class girl, instead of the expected upper class subjects.

Relative to our domain, interior design, Philippe Starck designed these now infamous clear plastic chairs, while Frank Gehry designed an idiosyncratic cardboard armchair. What do all of these designers or artists have in common? They questioned the status quo, they dared challenge the convention or the expected, focusing instead on exploring alternative means of expression.

Acclaimed artists support that the attainment of the Avant-Garde involves the masterful breaking of the rules; which of course implies that we ought to learn the rules, before you can break them. One may perhaps attain the Avant-Garde after extensive and systematic study and experimentation; or rarely, by accident. Most designers, even the talented ones, usually fall in the mainstream, as the Avant-Garde is indeed rare and difficult to achieve. For it's progressive, revolutionary, trend setting and challenges the status quo. Last, but not least, architects often experiment with furniture design as it's easier and more economical to experiment, relative to buildings. 

In conclusion, without challenging the status-quo, avant-garde cannot be achieved.

--------------------------------------------

 (1) English - Oxford Living Dictionaries, art. [Accessed 10 April 2018]. Available from: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/art

Auditorium at Tenerife, Spain (Santiago Calatrava, architect).

 #avantgarde #avant garde #art #architecture #artist #architect #furniture
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

For specifics, or ideas about your own project, get in touch; we can work together. It's fun, easy and affordable. You'll be surprised! We'll do everything by email ! Phone contact is also available. Feel free to CONTACT:  interior.design.easy@gmail.com