Kitsch

Only seeks to hold society back.
Wants to be taken seriously but fails.
Mass produced
Is aspiring to be art but bought by people who can't afford art.

Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson & Bubbles 1988,
This recreation of an incredibly kitsch ornament is not kitsch. A lot of kitsch is depends of placement and price. The original ornament itself was cheaply made and distributed to many, making the objects less special as more people own them. However the recreation which was blown up to life-size was situated in a gallery apparently making it art. No offence but I still think it's tacky, and the fact it's life size just scares me a bit!

Thomas Kinkade is an incredibly well off artist, one of the worlds richest living artists. However he is completely kitsch! He is recognised at "The paitner of light", although from looking at copies of his paintings on the internet most of them just look like the houses are on fire!

Defining the "Avant Garde" Seminar 15.12.2010

My notes from this seminar are just a little eligible so I am going to re type the best bits.
This seminar had some really useful bits for my essay question.

Literal definition of "avant garde" - French Advancing Guard - paving the way for others to follow. Making innovative and progressive art.
The term had now lost it's original critical meaning, now used to signify uniqueness.

Marcel Duchamp- Fountain (Toilet) & Mona Lisa;
Controversial, no one knew how to react
Radically refining the rules of art, shocking. Not following conventions

Fauves (name applied by critics, says they're "wild beasts" and the name stuck)
Wild Beasts- Early Avant Garde, 1905
Modern, forward thinking.
Fly in the face of judgements of taste, rejection of the necessity of skill.
Jarring reality, Intensity again rejecting conventions.

Avant Garde is a lot about the content creating the art, the meaning over the aesthetic, content over style, and can often be quite strongly political.

However when the idea of challenging conventions institutionalises it becomes conventional. Loosing the avant garde.

Traditional Art is about learning conventions, how to paint as others do, how to show the world as it is.

Idea of Genius - 1930s, Romantic Avant Garde

Henry Wallice - The death of Chatterton - a young good looking philosopher poet
The tortured soul, better to die than live in a world of philistines.
Trying to channel his Genius
Alike many artists who believe to be tortured and living in a world less genius than themselves, e.g Kurt Cobain

JUST A FANTASY- artists have and will always have to sell work to survive. Although they try to disguise this with grander notions. Trying to say that fine art is about something genius, and that Graphics has been created just for work. Why would you want to be hired to create someone else's image.

To be avant garde you have to be outside/above society. everyone else is less creative, innovative and genius than you.

Corbey- The stone breakers painting
Political Avant garde. The forgotten people, doing real everyday work. Making mundaneness into art. Saying this is worthy of being a subject of art. Defiantly political. The people doing these jobs are really important people. However they would not usual be the subject of high art, aimed to lead and challenge conventions.