Avant Garde

Avant Garde is a French term, and refers to welcoming new ideas in any form of art. To be more specific, within traditions and the so-called rules, changing or including some element which could be said as something out of the box.  It’s not changing the rule, or framework, but bending the rule to discover something new. In terms of music, it could be a note, a skipped beat, or switching the scale. In terms of writing, or to be specific, poetry, the right term would be Poetic License, or as in Urdu we say riayat-e-lafzi.

Avant Garde is to explore unconventional art. It is not entirely defiance against rules, or theory of anything, but it is about creating something new in art, within a code of conduct, and infusing your take on any art which is being crafted, certainly not defying any previous thought, theory, speculation, but presenting a newer idea, which is originally yours. And that is what art is about, there’s more to creation.

Originally, the term was not used for art, it’s roots are more political than poetic, through its evolving years, it gradually became a part of art, because of an existing thought that art is an instrument for social change. Art, politics, and history are such a trinity which co-exist simultaneously. Art has its many manifestations. Art is an outcome of the society, it exists, like anarchy, just out there, or for this case, we can say just art there. It won’t bother or concern the society, like anarchy, but the society, or the people could get attracted to it. Things should be seen as not how they seem, but how they are. Just the way anarchy influences the society, art also has its influence on the society.

Art, politics and history go together, a trinity where the unions co-exist simultaneously. On the argument of whether or not art is political, or if art should be only utilized for only conscious desires or if art should be only a medium of expression. My opinion is rather simple, treat art like art. Think about it, if you are to do something, make it worth it. Just do it, for the sake of doing it, if you feel like making it political or consciousness, or for the society, aim for it, and let it be, and if you do not aim to change or revolutionize the society, and would love to make art for just fun, do that too. Either way would influence society.

The fact that, only making critical art, or doing it for the sake of clout or fame. Just don’t confine art to a specific kingdom. To confine any form of art, is to suppress expression. Moreover, presenting or projecting only one class of art would give birth to monotony. A problem that rises with monotony is only one side is predominant and another side gets neglected, their voices unheard. An ideal situation would be, where a commercial artist makes good critical art, or a critical artist makes it big, commercially.

“It is not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need.”

-          Alan Moore  

There’s always responsibility, and the artist is responsible for; the outcomes and the impact. There are answers in the Models of Persuasion theory, the artist should be mindful about the ethos, logos, and pathos. Most importantly, the artist should be very clear on the why aspect of their art being crafted. The intent matters as much as the impact. Anything, which could cause chaos in the society, should be avoided. Then, what about the art, which is linear, atonal, and not welcoming to newer ideas or thoughts, or the type of art which can cause the brains to dumb down.

Since culture is ever evolving, there’s always room for newer ideas, within the jurisdictional correspondence of things. Old practices get canceled and ruled-out after a specific time and era. Or to say it in simpler terms, their relevance with reference to a specific time gets over. In that regard, there’s always room for newer ideas. Besides, a hundred-year-old tree was once just a seed. It grew with time, adapted itself with the situation, and survive, but after some time, maybe a hundred more years, it has to go, so it could change and evolve into another form of life, let’s say a fossil. C’est la vie.