The article describes what shocking is, the synonyms of this word and its role in various fields of art.
Start
In any human society or its layers, various standards of morality and behavior gradually arise. Sometimes they are imposed and created artificially, but in any case, this process is natural and absolutely normal. However, there are always those who do not consider it necessary to follow these rules and norms, for example, committing something shocking. But, what is it, and what manifests itself in such behavior? We will talk about this in this article.
Definition
Shocking is a kind of trick that has a frankly provocative form, or other behavior of a shocking sense, which contradicts social, moral, moral or other norms accepted in society. Usually this is done in order to attract attention to a single individual, her work, profession or something else. So outrageous is sometimes an effective method for advertising, and this method is often resorted to by marketers or people of creative professions - artists, designers, writers and others.
If we talk specifically about art, then shocking is most often characteristic of such areas as avant-garde and modernism.
Origin
This word came to us from the French language, or rather, from one of its slang expressions épatage, which in translation means “to give the footboard”, or “to substitute the footboard”. In French, this word appeared around the first half of the 19th century; it came into use in Russia around the same time. And by the way, in so many languages, in the same English, it has no analogues.
Role in art
Initially, the concept of shocking originated in the artistic environment, but if we talk about the reasons for its appearance in contemporary art, then researchers find it difficult to explain this fact. But nevertheless, the most popular shocking became during the broad development of modernism. In general, it is generally accepted among art critics that shocking is not peculiar to classical manifestations of various fields of art. However, according to others, this direction originated in ancient times. So now we know the meaning of such a direction as shocking, the meaning of the word and its origin.
Some artists believe that shocking has become an integral part of modern art, since its main goal is to amaze, excite the audience. And in this case, its value is directly proportional to the strength of the reaction. Simply put, if a shocking trick, picture, installation or something else caused a violent reaction (ideally a scandal), then the author achieved his goal.
In another opinion, shocking is a reflection of the psychological state of the creator. Some manifestation of deviant behavior due to the loss of self-determination, and at the same time the search for a new form of identification. In this case, it is considered that shocking tricks and creativity is a way of using non-standard behavior specifically for creativity, searching for new directions and expression.
The most striking shocking began to manifest itself during the heyday of modernism, whose meaning was to deny the many established canons and traditions.
With what it is, we figured out, now let's look at a few examples of this phenomenon.
Examples
Outrageous antics and creations are used by many modern artists and simply creative people. For example, fashion designers make collections of clothing for shows, which often cause, by and large, the indignation and negative reaction of most ordinary people. These are swimwear made of completely transparent materials, men's suits, whose style and elements of clothing are emphasized feminine, or other style attributes that are absolutely non-functional in everyday life.
If we consider examples of show business, then, probably, the most shocking representative of her can be called the singer Lady Gaga. She is constantly shocking fans with her outfits, for example, dresses from raw meat or other outfits of incompatible colors and styles.
The famous Salvador Dali was also distinguished by shocking antics - he often liked to walk along the streets of Paris with his hand anteater. Agree, a rather unusual choice of pet.
Advertising
Nowadays, when a lot of attention is paid to marketing, the creation and release of some unusual, outrageous advertising is a competent move that allows you to attract attention. Simply put, against the background of standard and familiar television commercials, street posters and billboards, outrageous is a kind of psychological shake-up, an effective method. It is almost guaranteed to attract the attention of the target audience.
Shocking. Synonyms
The synonyms of this word include the following: scandalous, shocking, unusual, original.
So we figured out what outrageous means, and looked at some examples of this behavior.