Clement Greenberg inside out

Abstract

This article is the result from a reflexive effort, having as a subject the american critic of art Clement Greenberg, his works and his activity on the art field. This author, known by his controversial theoretic positions, is analysed through his before and through his after. The cultural context where his writing has been produced is considered, not as a cause, but as a source of theoretical problems, to which his critical work answers. Showing the theoretic rumour, which is contemporary to the activity of this author and constituted by non-artistical questions, we propose a critical distance, through which we try to comprehend Greenberg's most important texts. The platform of analysis settled by the historical context is also used for a brief survey on the legacy of these texts, considering the reactions to formalism in our days.