Avant-Garde: The Russian Revolution in Art. 1917-1935

“The avant-garde is neither a direction nor a style in art and, in my opinion, not a theory. The avant-garde is a mentality, a way of life, expressed not only in the creativity of artists but in every fiber of their souls, in their beliefs and behaviors. The avant-garde had a radical character in the sense that it rejected the existing order, which had trapped art in the oppressive Procrustean bed of academic canons. Only as methods of fighting against this oppression did artists use not stones, guns, or bombs, but provocative actions, performance art, and outrageousness, as well as ridiculing 'public taste'.” (Sheng Scheyen)