"Avant garde has a French meaning which is advance guard or vanguard. In English, it can be used as an adjective to describe people or works that are experimental or unconventional. It is usually applied to art, culture, and politics. Avant garde can also be referred to as a form of modernism. Some artists strive for an avant garde style.The term actually started in the military. It was used
. to describe a part of the army that advanced into battle (i.e. the advance guard). But now, it is just applied to a group, especially artists, who considers itself ahead of the norm and the majority. Works of art that are considered to be avant garde are usually not mainstream or have commerical value. They usually give a harsh reflection on society and politics. In his essay Avant-Garde and Kitsch, published in Partisan Review in 1939, Clement Greenberg proved that the avant garde culture has been historically against mainstream culture and rejected the artifically synthesized culture created by industrialization."
