The Avant-Garde
           The term "avant-garde" was is a term that is used to denote advanced thinking in both the social and artistic realms. The French Utopian socialist Henri de Saint Simon describes the work of the avant-garde: "the power of the arts is in fact most immediate and most rapid: when we wish to spread new ideas among men, we inscribe them on marble or on canvas… What a magnificent destiny for the arts is that of exercising a positive power over society…"⁴ The avant-garde is essentially a term that describes the artists discussed on the homepage: modern-thinking artists whose concerns are that of the political, social and intellectual state of society. They incorporated these ideas into their work so their pieces could tell the story of society. When they believed a change was needed, they based their work around the ideal, and made sure the painting was well received as to spread it quickly. Because of these qualities, the work is progressive artistically as well as socially, and thus makes the painter of the piece a member of the "avant-garde." A great example of this is Manet's Déjeuner sur l'herbe, which in depicting nude women with clad males (something unheard of at the time) sent a progressive message about women in society.⁵