What did Clement Greenberg say about abstract expressionism?

Strongly associated with his support for Abstract Expressionism, Greenberg fervently believed in the necessity of abstract art as a means to resist the intrusion of politics and commerce into art.

What are the characteristics of formalism as defined by Clement Greenberg?

In developing his theory of Formalism, Greenberg not only defined the elemental formal components of canvas painting, but also developed the interrelated concepts of flatness and medium-specificity.

How did Clement Greenberg shaped modernist art?

He argued that painting should be an ultimately ‘pure’ activity, rejecting any form of reference to the outside world, including emotional expression, illusionism, or any “space that recognizable objects can inhabit.” Greenberg continued to explain how a painting should be entirely self-referential, only relating back …

What was Clement Greenberg famous for?

Clement Greenberg, (born Jan. 16, 1909, Bronx, N.Y., U.S.—died May 7, 1994, New York, N.Y.), American art critic who advocated a formalist aesthetic. He is best known as an early champion of Abstract Expressionism.

What does Greenberg say about Modernism?

In his 1961 essay on “Modernist Painting,” Clement Greenberg (1909-1994) defined “Modernism” as the period (in art) roughly from the mid-1850s to his present that displayed a self-critical tendency in the arts. Greenberg considered Immanuel Kant the first Modernist.

How does Greenberg define Modernism?

In his 1961 essay on “Modernist Painting,” Clement Greenberg (1909-1994) defined “Modernism” as the period (in art) roughly from the mid-1850s to his present that displayed a self-critical tendency in the arts.

How does Greenberg define kitsch?

In kitsch, nothing is left to the viewer — everything is given and obvious., i.e. the work requires no distancing and presents no difficulties. In the end, the avant-garde work imitates the causes — kitsch the effects — of art.

What is the main idea of formalism?

Formalism describes the critical position that the most important aspect of a work of art is its form – the way it is made and its purely visual aspects – rather than its narrative content or its relationship to the visible world.

What does Greenberg say that the true function of the avant-garde is?

Avant-garde best illustrates this era of ambiguity because it is the search of a new original. Avant-garde is the practice of imitating the imitation; imitating the process by which techniques are formed rather than the technique itself. It is an attempt to illustrate the unconscious.

How does Clement Greenberg define avant-garde?

Writing at the end of the avant-garde in Europe, Greenberg explained the significance of the avant-garde tradition. He defined the avant-garde as a “superior consciousness” which coincided with the emergence of modern scientific thinking.