Clement Greenberg is an Elitist Git.

[sechan19]

In his 1939 article, "Avant-Garde and Kitsch," Clement Greenberg states the following:

"The masses have always remained more or less indifferent to culture in the process of development. But today such culture is being abandoned by those to whom it actually belongs - the ruling class. For it is to the later that avant-garde belongs. No culture can develop without a social basis, without a source of stable income. And in the case of the avant-garde, this was provided by an elite among the ruling class of society from which it assumed itself to be cut off, but to which it has always remained attached by an umbilical cord of gold. The paradox is real. And now this elite is rapidly shrinking. Since the avant-garde forms the only living culture we have, the survival in the near future of culture in general is thus threatened" (533) emphasis mine.

What?

I mean, seriously, what? The only living culture we have? You know, this pisses me the hell off. It's completely ridiculous to state that the only culture being produced is that of a ruling class. I don't care how you dice it; it's bull. The masses, as Greenberg offhandedly calls everyone who's not lucky enough to be in his little in-group, have been producing a vibrant and fascinating culture for centuries. Their omission from the history books (both art-related and general) is a great shame, but no great surprise.

You know, Panofsky found himself in this kind of hot water - by virtue of his ingrained belief in the unassailable work of art - but it was always involuntary. He made judgment calls almost in spite of himself, as he was always keen to stress the lack of critical judgment involved in his process of evaluation. And there was something very much in earnest about his work; something very much idealistic. I could admire his vision if nothing else.

But Greenberg... he's a stuck up self-satisfied prig. And he vexes me.

I'm terribly vexed.

I'm done with him, and I haven't even started really.

Comments

[foxxydancr.livejournal.com]

There is also his comment about the "official" state culture (i don't remember where it is exactly, but it has about a dozen of my little exclamation points next to it) that irked me.

And I'm still peeved that he never really defines culture well enough for my liking.

[lillith-knox.livejournal.com]

uh, intellectual apartheid, anyone?