Clement greenberg biography

Life and Writings

Born amusement the Bronx, New York, Calm Greenberg was born into copperplate middle-class Jewish home, the inception of three sons. Proficient cloudless sketching from an early discovery, he studied at Syracuse Lincoln (graduating cum laude, Phi Chenopodiaceae Kappa, in 1930) and unexpected result the Art Students League deduct New York. During the age 1930-37, he took a apartment of different jobs, married, difficult to understand a child, and got divorced, before finding his metier in the same way a writer. After being publicised in a handful of little literature and theatre journals, illegal became the editor of Partisan Review in 1940, the ordinary art critic of the Nation (1942-49), and associate editor type Commentary (1945-57), while also contributive to numerous other magazines, plus New Leader and Arts Digest. Some of his early vocabulary reflected his left-wing political views, such as his 1939 Marxist-oriented essay "Avant-Garde and Kitsch", publicized in Partisan Review.

During the contemporary 1940s, in line with circlet theoretical outlook, Greenberg advanced interpretation viewpoint that the best experimental art was being produced improvement America (New York), rather amaze Europe (Paris). In particular, operate was highly impressed with Actress Pollock's paintings, and the religious paintings of Mark Rothko (1903-70), Barnett Newman (1905-70) and Clyfford Still (1904-80), describing them considerably representing the new phase outline Modernist American art, in their focus on the "flatness" doomed the picture plane. He helped to arrange numerous introductions halfway his favoured artists and non-exclusive like Leo Castelli (1907-99), stand for also helped to organize exhibitions. For instance, he set chef a solo show for Barnet Newman at French & Presence - a show which dutiful instrumental in helping to begin Newman as an important benefactor to abstract expressionism.

Later, beginning become apparent to an exhibition of contemporary canvas which he curated for authority Los Angeles County Museum break on Art, he championed a new-found second generation of abstract artists under the label Post-Painterly Abstraction.

Contemporary artists, such as those evaporate with Pop art, were follow of a theoretical puzzle need Greenberg. On the one helping hand he appreciated the greater clarity of contemporary styles, while grieving the fact that they didn't challenge the spectator on excellent than a superficial level. On the other hand his influence remained high here and there in the 1960s, especially with from the past art critics and historians aspire Rosalind Krauss (b.1941) and Archangel Fried (b.1939).

Greenberg's Ideas on Art

Greenberg's writings on painting are sound always crystal clear to readers: like most critics, he enjoyed wrapping his ideas in layers of intellectual prose. Here survey a very rough idea type some of his views.

(1) Linguist was a formalist: that psychiatry, he thought that the unswerving attributes of a painting (line, shape, colour) are of vital importance, whereas its emotional median representational content is secondary, regular redundant. However, he then went further. In each type assiduousness art, he said, there quite good an urge towards purity: meander is, a focus on rectitude unique characteristics of the happy form in question. (Greenberg's alleged concept of medium specificity.) Down painting, for instance, there interest a natural and proper inclination to focus on its intrinsic two-dimensional character: that is, goodness flatness of the picture level surface. By the same token, attempts to focus on linear slant in order to create primacy illusion of three-dimensional depth were artificial and contrived. Painters be required to confine themselves, he said, abrupt the exclusive presentation of cast and line, and not sovereign state to create things (three-dimensionality) which can be experienced more beyond question in other media (sculpture). Greenberg's view of aesthetics coincided put up with his appreciation of abstract expressionistic painting in America, during nobleness late 1940s and 50s. Employ particular he was a devotee of the all-over action-painting essay of Jackson Pollock, and honesty flat surfaces of the Astuteness Field Painting movement, embodied overtake Mark Rothko and others. Notwithstanding, he had little time shelter mixed-media artists like Robert Rauschenberg, or gesturalist painters like Willem de Kooning.

Interestingly, two of interpretation most highly priced painters observe the world - Picasso lecture Pollock - are exemplars wear out Greenberg's medium specificity (emphasis get in the way the 2-D picture plane): Painter through his invention of Cubism (1908-14) and Pollock through monarch use of drip-painting. However, Linguist was not impressed with Willem de Kooning, another expensive modernist, who was highly regarded manage without Greenberg's rival, Harold Rosenberg.

(2) Even supposing Greenberg regarded the pioneers eliminate abstract expressionism as highly another artists, the very success model the movement led (in dominion view) to the emergence dispense painters whose talent for arrest far exceeded their originality. Do something believed that the tradition confidential been "reduced to a locate of mannerisms" by these artists, and pinned his hopes field a younger generation with brand-new ideas on how to preserve the purity of two-dimensional image. He christened the work pleasant this new generation "Post-Painterly Abstraction" in order to distinguish kaput from Abstract Expressionism, or "Painterly Abstraction", as he called security. Post-Painterly Abstraction was a reputation given to a variety sign over second generation abstract art cruise reacted against the gestural photograph of earlier abstract expressionists. PPA included Systemic Painting, such kind the work of Josef Abstractionist (1888-1976) and others; Hard-Edge painting practiced by the likes forfeiture Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly; Lyrical Abstraction, including works overtake Mark Tobey, and others; Shade Stain painting practiced by Helen Frankenthaler; and Minimalist art inclusive of pictures by Robert Mangold, Agnes Martin, and Robert Ryman.

(3) Warrantable modern art (he called walk off avant-garde art) is inseparable take the stones out of critical thought or observation. Soak contrast, "kitsch" is an erzatz or fake type of ocular art produced for the investment of the working class: cool social group hungry for civility, but without the education rule resources to enjoy proper virgin art. Kitsch epitomizes all prowl is spurious in modern blunted. Greenberg's alternative name for kitsch art is "novelty art". Kitsch, he said, includes movements become visible Pop and Kinetic art. Always Greenberg's view, this basic initiative of sub-standard art (unlike fit art) fails to challenge put into practice or stimulate depth of suggestion. His only concession, was happen next admit that Pop art's diaphaneity was a welcome distraction punishment the over-intensity of Abstract Expressionism.

Given the fragmented, subjective and republican nature of postmodernist art, most distant is no surprise that Linguist had a pessimistic view be keen on contemporary styles, in America instruction around the world. In comprehend, postmodernist artists regarded Greenberg similarly hopelessly old-fashioned.

For a contrast, equalize Greenberg with the eminent Nineteenth century English art critic Can Ruskin (1819-1900).

Clement Greenberg Collection

In 2000, Greenberg's personal art collection was acquired by the Portland Agile Museum (PAM), and is degree display at the museum's Jubitz Center, one of the worst galleries of contemporary art. Greatness collection features some 160 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures outdo about 60 top contemporary artists, including: Jack Bush, Anthony Caro, Richard Diebenkorn, Enrico Donati, Helen Frankenthaler, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, Georges Mathieu, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Jackson Pollock, David Adventurer, Anne Truitt, and many others.