237 - Post #1

            Avant-garde, to me, in regards to artwork means going against the norm or doing the unexpected. It means being innovative and creating something that hasn’t been seen or done before. There are both positive and negative associations that I make with the word avant-garde. I think it is very interesting, thought provoking, and allow us to look at artwork in a new way. Yet, at the same time avant-garde can be hard to comprehend, strange, and challenging.

            Manet’s painting, Luncheon on the Grass, is a great example of using the avant-garde idea in artwork. This artwork challenges the viewer because the scene that is depicted isn’t something that is easily understandable. People generally like narratives, and artwork that clearly has a message. Manet’s painting however is not clear-cut like one would prefer. This challenges the viewer the think about what is happening in the painting and why it was created rather than having the story spoon fed to them. This also challenges the viewers because it is artistically like nothing they have ever seen before. During this time period precision within the artwork was greatly prized, however in Luncheon on the Grass we are seeing very visible brushstrokes making it look as if it is unfinished. This was the first time people were seeing art about art and this challenged them to view and think about art differently. The viewers at the time were used to seeing perfection within artwork and here they are seeing a scene that doesn’t add up. The woman in the background is out of proportion for where she is positioned in the scene, the fruit that was brought for the lunch wouldn’t all be in season at the same time, and none of the figures in the foreground are making eye contact or interacting with one another. This painting includes the viewer and challenges them to understand.

            In Luncheon on the Grass Manet did several things that can be considered avant-garde. For the time this painting was shocking. It was very in your face and was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. The scene of the painting was confusing and lacked understanding by the viewers. Due to the paintings confusing layout and subject matter people viewed this as a very strange and outrageous painting. It went against all the rules of art that people of the time were following. For example, Manet’s painting has thick blocks of color clearly showing the viewer how he went about applying the paint. While what was valued at the time was having invisible brushstrokes making it hard to trace the work of the artist. This painting was not only revolutionary for its time but it was innovative, thought provoking, and hard to comprehend. All of which are characteristics of an avant-garde artwork. Not only did Luncheon on the Grass challenge the viewers of the time to think and view art differently but it changed the rules of art forever.