Avant-Guard and Kitsch

Avant-Guard and Kitsch

Greenburg’s war against Kitsch

For all of Greenburg’s Marxist leanings he seems to contradict himself as to whether he supports the proletariat or the aristocracy.

On one hand he morns the loss of the working classes folk art, then applauds Picasso’s re-inventing of an African mask as genius, a genius that only those of high intellect can understand. Which image is more pure, the folk art from the uneducated proletariat worker or the highly educated Picasso? Greenburg does not say.

Greenburg then attacks academia as the one of the main creator of Kitsch; he seems to fear academia suffers from alexandrianism, nothing new here for each succession of ruling powers be they communists or capitalist, kings or emperors fall into this stagnant pond.

I think he missed the fact that creative power is always there moving, changing, searching no matter who or what is in power.

Greenburg is more worried about who is in power and how they will use that power, how they will use or abuse the arts, who will control the definition of art. This power has never stopped changes in arts growth.

The old line aristocratic conservative intellectuals who preferred the Alexandrianism are enemies in Goldberg’s book and the Avant–Guard heroes. The Avant-Guard became Goldberg’s army, but he turned on the Avant-Guard when he saw them turn to the bourgeois as their new patrons of art.

The middle class became the new umbilical cord of gold, replacing the shrinking elites.

Underneath it all Greenburg is a snob, he longs for the aristocracy and the elites, even as the Marxists are killing them off.

He seems to have put great hope in the Avant-Guard, hoping for a Avant-Guard revolution will save the day, Not!

Problem as always starving artist like to eat.

Greenburg knows art, this is not the question, the question is does he know artists? Is he asking to much of them?

I think so, just the idea of trying to get 3 artist to agree on any simple point is near impossible let alone getting the Avant-Guard to hold hands and start a revolution!

Its evident Greenburg thinks very little of the taste of the middle and working classes of all nations but he gives no solution that I could see.

Seems both Marx and Greenburg spent all to many hours in their ivory towers thinking noble thoughts about how man should live, how we should be ruled and what is good art, now here they part but Greenburg continues to think Marxism will fit for artists, I think not.

I can’t disagree with Greenburg on kitsch; it is overwhelming in society today.

Greenburg declared war on kitsch, he had no chance to win, he lost before the first shot was fired.

The powers behind kitsch are many and powerful, ad agencies, demographic studies, running main frame computers holding ever little purchase the buying public makes, PR firms researching our every want and need, focus groups give info on we proletariat working stiffs so the folks at the TV studios can make us sitcoms filled with mindless dribble, paused by ads selling us mouthfuls of kitsch, how sad such a wonderful medium has been so corrupted.

Kitsch political, kitsch propaganda, kitsch corrupt, kitsch pure, kitsch honest

Are the lines so blurry now that it is hard to tell High Art from kitsch?

Greenburg viewed kitsch as the lowest common denominator in art, a danger to civilized society, whether one agrees or disagree, it is here, it is pervasive.

Greenburg lost his war, he is gone as is Marx, artists will continue to point fingers and paint brushes at corrupt politicians, corrupt media, at all those who maintain they have all the answers, at consumerism, at all those delusional earthy men who think they are god.

It’s all over my head, I just want to paint.

I’m going to drink now.

Drew