Homemade Esthetics: Observations on Art and Taste

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Summary: A fitting epitaph to an astringent critic
Review: Clement Greenberg has proven to be one of the most influential art critics of the 20th century. In fact, his name has become almost synonymous with mainstream Modernism, due in no small part to his lucid and carefully considered criticism. This post-humously compiled book is comprised of a series of transcripts from seminars at Bennington college in the 1970s on the nature of taste and criticism. There are also a series of complementary essays based upon the transcripts. However, the seminars (where Greenberg is questioned by the audience) more fully reveal the man himself; his sharp intelligence, his truculence, as well as his tendency to be contradictory and make enormous generalisations.

Greenberg's influence in the art world had waned considerably by the time these seminars took place. However, he still had plenty of insight to offer on the pretensions of the 1960s/70s avant-garde, namely his savaging of "far-out" conceptual art, which Greenberg claimed was simply tasteful Salon art masquerading under the guise of radicalism. It's this sort of irreverence which makes the book an interesting read. Whether you agree with Greenberg or not, it's hard to doubt the honesty with which he set about his task as a critic. He was never fazed by art-world talk, nor artist's reputations (no matter how large), and his advice on honestly reporting your aesthetic responses to art should be taken on board by art-lovers everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: thoughtful and provocative musings on art and taste
Review: Clement Greenberg makes the reader long for the time when criticism came in the form of thoughtful commentary and considered analysis rather than jargon laden showmanship of today. He was elitist and irascible to be sure--a real curmudgeon--but he had an opinion and wasn't afraid to express it. It's easy to disagree with a lot of Greenberg's grand pronouncements but the provocation is welcomed--it stimulates thought and encourages engagement with aesthetic issues. Greenberg's comments about art and kitsch, art and commerce are all the more fascinating post-Warhol/Koons/Sachs, etc.