Avant-garde, << `ah` vahn GAHRD, >> is a term commonly used to describe people in any field who break with tradition and conventional standards in their work. The term is especially used to describe movements in the arts. Avant-garde artists emphasize experimental and original methods and oppose accepted ways of doing things. They sometimes attack past and present attitudes about art in the interest of creating a better future.
Avant-garde was originally a French military term, meaning an advance guard that preceded the main body of troops. The term was first used in its current meaning by the French socialist leader Henri de Saint-Simon in 1825. During the 1800’s, most avant-garde art was used to promote social reform. But in the late 1800’s, a period of relative political stability, a doctrine of “art for art’s sake” developed. It emphasized the form of art itself, regardless of its effect on society.
Events of World War I (1914-1918) led to the reappearance of reform-based avant-garde art. These works criticized European culture and contributed to political and social reform movements after the war. But some artists in the early 1900’s wanted to restore to art its primary creative function. For example, German artist Kurt Schwitters created collages from fragments of newsprint and discarded items, including stamps, wood, buttons, and cloth. He also wanted to weaken the authority of conventional art forms. Avant-garde ideals became especially important in art of the mid-1900’s when artists tended to combine distinct art forms, such as architecture, motion pictures, music, painting, sculpture, and theater.
