Clement Greenberg summary

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Clement Greenberg, (born Jan. 16, 1909, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died May 7, 1994, New York City), U.S. art critic. After graduating from Syracuse University, he returned to his native New York City and began writing for such publications as Partisan Review and The Nation, promoting an approach to looking at art that became known as “Greenbergian formalism.” The chief arbiter of art in the U.S. from the late 1940s through the 1950s, he exerted extraordinary influence as a champion of Abstract Expressionism and its leading exponent, Jackson Pollock. He routinely visited galleries and artists’ studios and promoted the work of many, including Helen Frankenthaler, Mark Rothko, and David Smith. He disavowed such later movements as Pop art and conceptual art and wrote little after the 1960s.

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Abstract Expressionism Summary

Abstract Expressionism, broad movement in American painting that began in the late 1940s and became a dominant trend in Western painting during the 1950s. The most prominent American Abstract Expressionist painters were Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. Others

Joan Miró Summary

Joan Miró was a Catalan painter who combined abstract art with Surrealist fantasy. His mature style evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life. He worked extensively in lithography and produced numerous murals, tapestries, and

Jackson Pollock Summary

Jackson Pollock was an American painter who was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism, an art movement characterized by the free-associative gestures in paint sometimes referred to as “action painting.” During his lifetime he received widespread publicity and serious recognition for the

Henri Matisse Summary

Henri Matisse was an artist often regarded as the most important French painter of the 20th century. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement about 1900, and he pursued the expressiveness of colour throughout his career. His subjects were largely domestic or figurative, and a distinct