The Theory of the Avant-Garde

Convinced that all aspects of modern culture have been affected by avant-garde art, Poggioli explores the relationship between the avant-garde and civilization. Historical parallels and modern examples from all the arts are used to show how the avant-garde is both symptom and cause of many major extra-aesthetic trends of our time, and that the contemporary avant-garde is the sole and authentic one.

Renato Poggioli is another Italian writer that TFiB owes a  great deal of gratitude to. His forward thinking is part of the foundation that this blog’s ethos rests upon. His crown achievement is Teoria dell’arte d’avanguardia of 1962, translated into English as The Theory of the Avant-garde. My two favorite chapters are:

AGONISM AND FUTURISM
Nihilism
Agonism
Futurism
Decadence

FASHION, TASTE, AND THE PUBLIC
Fashion, avant-garde, and stereotype
Intelligentsia and elite
The intellectual elite
The avant-garde and politics

Source: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/POGTHE.html

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Tagged books, literature, Renato Poggioli, Teoria dell'arte d'avanguardia, The Theory of the Avant-Garde