Avant-gardism
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The avant-garde was on the cutting edge of new styles. They drew their inspiration from the invention and application of new or unconventional techniques.
Art in the late 19th-century and in the 20th-century was known as modern art. The most important contributions of the 20th-century were the invention of abstraction, the introduction to a range of new artistic techniques, materials and even the concept of art itself.
Modern art is often referred to as avant-garde. Avant-garde comes from a French military term that means "advance guard" and suggests that what is modern is cutting edge and original. Many artists in the 20th-century tried to redefine what art means or tried to expand the meaning of art so that it included new concepts or techniques.
In this modern period artists did not only us traditional materials but any material available to them. This innovation led to development that expanded the definition of art to include not just physical objects but ideas and actions as well.
Because modern artists were not supported and funded by government and religious institutions the members of avant-garde were freer to suggest more personal meanings...