COLLECTION 2 - AVANT-GARDE

KALTBLUT
THE GOLDEN AGE
Everything around Avant-garde is pretty vague
and yet precise. Even an exact definition of the
term is not possible, despite the several attempts
in artists’ manifestos. But one thing is for sure,
the Golden Decades of Avant-garde must be the
20s and the 60s (and 70s). Examining their striking
similarities and the reasons for Avant-garde
art to flourish, however, certainly aDds to understanding
this most magnificent constantly
changing movement. text by amanda m jansson & Emma e k jones
One major fact not possible to overlook
is how both decades were preceded by a
World War each. And some may find this an
odd thing to say, because the 50s are the
actual post-war decade, but the impact of
World War 2 was so much bigger, the destruction
so much vaster, and one mustn’t
forget the Cold War as well. In the 20s as
well as in the 60s and 70s, the world is recovering,
consumerism is flourishing, everything
starts prospering, and conservative
values hold firm as society needs some stable
ground. When everything just seems
so boring it is only normal that something
needs to stir up waters and pull the art
world and society out of this slumber. Both
times, Avant-garde finds fertile ground
as the most revolutionary and limit pushing
movement. One of the most important
characteristics of Avant-garde art, apart
from social critique is the use it makes of
ridicule, and its favourite subjects are of
course wealth, fame, commercialization,
and everything conservative using juxtapositions,
irrational situations and nonsense.
Which brings us to the next and most important
reasons for Avant-garde taking
over the art world and society as well.
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In the 20s and the 60s-70s, what we have
is social conflict. And Avant-garde, being a
very political art movement, is in the middle
of it. No other decades in human history
have known such big protests or strikes.
The Civil Rights movements are massive.
Women rights, feminism, African American
rights, workers’ rights, Gay Liberation,
everybody suppressed is out there and demands
their rights that have been taken
from them by the “good and the normal”.
Everything is being questioned, including
religion, gender roles, family values. Avantgarde
partly supports and partly goes as
far as to initiate such actions. As a form of
art itself it is first to question everything
we know, our ideas of beauty, our gods, our
morals, nothing is sacred to a vangardist.
To understand these artists now you need
to open up your mind, society is forced to
broaden its perspective.
As this new form of art that often allies
with anarchism or communism brings
dreams into the picture instead of the
radical, dreams become omnipotent and
dreams can be made come true, so they
become something worth fighting for.