The Avant-Garde

            From the span of the early 19^th century to the mid 20^th century, the art world experienced a boom in the development of innovative ideas and styles, which came to be known as “avant-garde”. As artists moved away from the academy’s traditional values and characteristic paintings, not only did they create a new era of art, but they mocked the academy in a way, making viewers question their perspectives on the art they had known for years. The avant-garde style has characteristics of its own that make it separate from the academy through reacting to the academy, therefore making it controversial.

            Saint-Simon was the first to use the term (avant-garde) in connection with art. When he applied the term to art in the 1820s, its original meaning was related to art’s emancipatory role in society (how art can be useful to society and how it can lead people to do good). Down the road, variations of the style developed and the meaning eventually became associated with modern art. Gustave Courbet, a French painter who helped lead the Realism movement, said he wanted “to know in order to do,” meaning that one must be familiar with modern life (aided through painting modern life) in order to take action and help improve society.

The avant-garde style is based off of reactionism, in terms of the process as well as the product. Art historian Griselda Pollock argues that it must refer to the art world by making aware what is occurring in the art world (borrowing ideas or mimicking other valued or important pieces), and establishing a marked difference between the art world and the art that has already been created—a system coined “reference and difference.” By mocking traditional academic paintings, the avant-garde style is reacting to the academy. Without the academy, avant-garde would not exist. It is not uncommon for works produced in the avant-garde to be difficult to comprehend. In this way, the esotericism that these works presented made them thought provoking and “challenged” observers on their ideals of art. This is how the product involves reaction. I think that the move toward more contemporary art made the process of creating works less important, since it is mostly about reaction and the paintings are not trying to hide their true nature.

Édouard Manet, a French painter and pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, created a few works that marked the genesis of modern art. One such work is the controversial Luncheon on the Grass—controversial because of its informal use of the nude. It addresses the notion of prostitution and offended viewers because the nude woman’s gaze is fixed outward at the viewer, not only inviting, but making them as much a part of the painting as she is. There are characteristics of this painting that Manet employs that are relative to the style of avant-garde, which work to break illusionism and make the painting true to itself. For instance, the background is somewhat neglected, looking loose and haphazardly painted. Manet also utilizes black and white juxtapositions, and his brushstrokes are loose for the most part, allowing the viewer to see the artist’s hand. There is also a woman behind the main picnic scene that is out of scale with the rest of the subjects. She is placed farther back than her size suggests. All of these devices function to flatten the painting and maintain its inherent character.

Intruiging Art of the Early Northern Renaissance

            Throughout this course, many artistic movements grabbed my attention. However, art from the Early Northern Renaissance intrigued me from the start. This era seemed to be extremely influential and paved the way for many more artistic styles due to the newly discovered conventions by artists such as Jan van Eyck and Claus Sluter. The freshly developing ideas and styles from the Early Northern Renaissance included such things as an interest in naturalism, symbolism, attention to minute details (influenced by Aristotelian ideas regarding empirical observation), and intuitive (observed) perspective. This is also when the widespread utilization of thin layers of oil paint started, allowing painters to achieve rich textures, luminous colors, and reflective surfaces. Around 1450 in Germany, the printing press was invented, permitting artists to copy and distribute their works and the beautiful paintings of the Early Northern Renaissance to be spread.

            The works from this period are still very religious-based, and for that reason, it seems like artists take extra care in creating their pieces so as to reach and maintain a sort of perfection in portraying holy figures and scenes. Such a piece exists that embodies all of the above characteristics and attains this “perfection.”

This is the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, assisted by his father, Hubert. Altarpieces became a popular form of representing religious artworks in the Northern Renaissance. They were usually commissioned by a church to be used as a sort of propaganda on their behalf. The Ghent Altarpiece is considered by some to be the greatest piece of art that the world has to offer. It reaches a harmony through the symmetry of the altarpiece’s form, as well as the balance of the compositions depicted inside. Completed in 1432, the medium is oil on wood. Van Eyck in particular can be held responsible for the popular use of oils due to the techniques he employed while using them. It is still hard for me to believe that he created the pieces he did using thin layers of oil paints.
            Van Eyck’s works, such as the center of the open altarpiece, The Adoration of the Lamb, seem impossibly detailed. For instance, surrounding the fountain in the middle are small jewels on the ground, each of them with a realistic reflective surface. This also encompasses the eyeballed perspective, from the distant infinity that Van Eyck created, to the water of life flowing out of the well and towards the viewers, connecting the two worlds—his mirrored reality and our own. His depiction of Adam has the same effect, and even seems to be stepping into our world thanks to the detail of his raised toes. Van Eyck incorporated empirical observation as well, as can be seen by his representation of the tanned skin on Adam, most likely taken from the model he used for the piece. His unbelievable naturalism comes into play with the light veins that can be seen under the skin. Adam looks like he is a real human.
            These impossible accomplishments amaze me. Not only Van Eyck’s works, but many others as well. The works from the Early Northern Renaissance meet a precise and specific feel of perfection only found in this period.