Key words definition - Essay Example

Avant-garde Avant-garde refers to the art movement that emerged in Europe during early 20th century. It includes Dadaism, structuralism, futurism, and etc. Its outcome is based on imperfection which is as a result of accidents and unconsciousness. Avant-garde is against the social norms, and rejects the traditional art form and criteria of art, which is considered as pretty and beautiful. This is because it has an effective, cultured communication with the audience. One perfect example is Dada.

Dada emerged from after War disaster and confusion from arrival of modern society. In addition, Dada was extremely unorganized, scattered and chaotic. Art works of a collage were strongly opposed to Avant garde because they were a symbol of instability to the society (Dickerman, 2005: 2). Since Avant-garde is an anti-art, it often get criticized and ignored by audiences. Even though its significance, “In fact, one could even say that the birth of art history as a discipline dates from the moment it was able to structure the vast amount of material it had neglected for purely ideological and aesthetic reason.

(Foster, 2004 :35) ” According to Leah Dickerman in his Article, Introduction in Dada, he says, “Dada has often been discussed in terms of absurdity, nonsense, and anti art concepts with some justification in its rhetoric and thought, but which paradoxically tend to deflect further exploration of meaning(Dickerman, 2005: 1)”. Individuals have a tendency of having a comfortable life because “Everything revolves around the concept of value, one of the most complex and controversial concepts in Saussure.

The sign is positive because it has a value determined by what it can be compared with and exchanged with within its own system. (Foster, 2004:36)” It is essential to look into Avant-garde and how the avant-garde artists are communicating with people using non traditional ways. This is because as a graphic designer, and a visual communicator, one should not deny himself something because it is different from what people have done or social norm. The Subject The, notion of ‘the subject’ is thought of as a person, who has conscious mind and feel complete.

This makes us think that, even though, other people might not be able to fully understand us, we always perceive the intended meanings to ourselves because we were the first individuals who produced the meaning (Hall,1997: #). However, Stuart Hall focuses on describing subject’ within the discourse from Michael Foucault of point of view. According to Foucault, from discursive approach, the subject who speaks is not the one that produces knowledge and meaning but discourse. Hall says, “The subject of discourse cannot be outside discourse, because it must be subjected to discourse.

It must submit to its rules and conventions, to its dispositions of power/knowledge (Hall, 1997:)”. According to Foucault, there are two different sense and places of Subject that are produced through discourse. First subjects, individuals, who embody the forms of information are created by the discourse itself. These subjects are usually expected to be defined by their features regarded as their own characteristics or identity through discourse like napoleon, or madman. Moreover, Discourse sets a place for the subject from where knowledge and meaning are reasonable.

“Discourse themselves construct the subject- position from which they become meaningful and have effects”. Hall says, “individuals… will not be able to take meaning until they have identified with those positions which the discourse constructs, subjected themselves to its rules, and hence areee subjects of its power/ knowledge”. Therefore, subject is where meaning and our understandings come from within discourse. Subject is not a person but it is virtual, imaginary, constructed image that makes people desire and to be sold.

It is extremely beneficial to give attention to the subjects because, as a graphic designer, it assist in branding and other visual communication works, because it is not naturally exists, but it is something that is constructed and exits in people’s mind.