Avant-garde

Avant-garde seems to mean that something is new, different from the expected, and pays little attention to how smooth the texture is expected to be. In the documentary clips it was very important to how the work by Manet the "Luncheon on the Grass" was received by the public and also a huge reason that he became the sensation that he was in the art world. This time consuming work of complete contradictions seems to make the viewer the main character in the work. 
For the first time the painting did not have to tell as story historical or imagined. This is a huge challenge to the viewer. Suddenly they are part of the work and have to make up the story line for themselves. By focusing on the rough strokes, varied gazes of the men, the woman doing something in the water, a picnic that does not seem to be complete or edible by the group. What stands out in the painting is the nude woman whom stares boldly at the viewer. This grouping does not go together but seems rather to invoke an inner perspective of the viewer.
In basics Manet broke all the rules of the time and he kept breaking them. This is what made him and his work avant-garde.