High Culture vs Low Culture

Lecture 7

High Culture vs Low Culture – Richard Miles

Avent – garde (like innovation in the arts or pioneers

-       idea of doing art/design work that is progressive – innovating, but also refers to idea of being a group of people being innovative

1.     being avent-garde in the work you do – challenging, innovating

2.     being in  apart of a group – being a member of the avent-garde

Marcel Duchamp

‘Fauves’ Wild Beasts

Visual Communications

‘The second levels aims to let you experiment within your chosen range of disciplines’

‘Our aim is to encourage students to take a radical approach to communication’

‘To be a student on the course you need to enjoy:- ‘challenging conventions’

Painted textiles & surface pattern design

‘Our aim is to provide an environment which allows you to discover, develop, and express your personal creative identity through your work’

Interior Design

‘We encourage students to challenge conventional thinking’

Furniture

‘Throughout the course you will be encouraged to form a personal vision and direction based upon critical self – analysis’

Fashion/clothing

‘We encourage you to develop your individual creativing to the highest level’

Art and design

‘What will unite all your creative output will be the ability to apply your creative and technical skills in innovative ways, which are not limited to traditional subject boundaries’

LCAD quotes prioritize certain concepts; innovation, experimentation, originality, creative genius.

End of 19^th/early 20^th century two approaches to avent-garde art

1.     art that is socially committed

2.     art that seeks only to expand/progress what art is

Clive Bell

Significant form ‘the relations and combinations of lines and colours, which when organized give the power to move someone aesthetically.

Clement Greenberg; The ‘Art for Art’s sake’ approach dominated much thinking and practice in 20^th Century.

A major problem for the avant-grande is that it seems to necessitate ‘Elitism’

So for members of the ‘left wing; there was a tendency to have to rely on academic techniques in order to appeal to the public.

What is Kitsch?

Simplification of style – repainted masterpieces for the modern eye

To make you think…

1.     Why does our work have to be original?

2.     Is it possible to be ‘avent-garde’ and/or original?

3.     If I make my work socially committed so that people can understand it, can it still be avant-garde/innovative?