Lecture. High Culture Vs. Low.

Objective 1: Understand the Avant-Garde.


Dictionary Term – ‘avant-garde’  with terms like
innovation in the arts or pioneers.


The premise of describing artwork which is innovative and pioneering but also to a group doing this. 


So you are either producing avant-garde work (new and innovative) or a member of an avant-garde group.


This has led to brands and companies associating the word avant-garde to themselves in order to lead people into thinking they do are pioneers when in reality they are undisputedly not.

Innovative? Pioneering?

 In the art world at the time movements such as 'Dada' and it's artists like Marhel Duchamp were considered avant-garde in their practice. 

This work 'fountain' (1917) was considered at the time avant-garde because it was something different and new. It matches the criteria placed down for avant-garde but this doesn't necessarily mean that it's any good. 


Objective 2: Question the way art/design education relies on the concept of the avant-garde.

Art and design educational institutes have absorbed this notion of the avant-garde. When you look at course information for the majority of them you can expect to see the words radical, experimental, challenge conventions and so on.

You can even say this is paramount to the course structure for them. It's pushed on young artists and designers that to be good you need to be original, innovative and a breed of creative genius who throws away conventions and trail blazes into new creative pasteurs. 

This premise is what leads to the misunderstood tortured artist stereotype in which the world isn't ready for such radical visionary thinking such as their own. 

Objective 3: Understand the related concept 'art for art's sake'.

By the end of the 19th/early 20th century there was two approaches to the avant-garde.

1.     art that is socially committed [artists being the ‘avant-garde’ of   society, pushing forward political objectives]

2.     art that seeks only to expand / progress what art is (in itself and for itself) / art for art’s sake.

These guidelines of what was avant-garde and what was not was largely orchestrated by the critics.

Clive bell coined the term 'Significant form' as a way to describe a work of art. This however was one mans opinion and far too simplified for such a broad topic. 

The avant-garde art for arts sake approach dominated most of the 20th century. Work started becoming more and more conceptual.

A major problem for the avant-garde is that it seems to necessitate ‘ELITISM’.

What is Kitsch?

Kitsch is a term used to describe art which is considered to be an inferior worthless copy. For example when a famous work of art like the mona lisa is put onto a mug or badge.

True kitsch work aims to be taken seriously but the subject matter falls very far short. Chocolate box images come to mind which may have been well painted technically but possess no real message or purpose. 

Some artists have played on this by making work look kitsch whilst having a deeper meaning. 

In the modern day these fine artists who are considered avant garde and produce conceptual pieces such as those submitted the turner prize are largely resented. It is still as elitist as ever and considered high culture only by those who consider themselves high culture. The general populous finds it pretentious and slightly offensive that they make so much money off pieces. For example Tracey Emins dirty bed for the turner prize is not seen as artistic to most yet we are told it is by the critics who believe themselves to know better then others and if others don't understand it then it is because they are too stupid to.