Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing

In May 1969, Charles Harrison reviewed Morris Louis’ exhibition at the Waddington Galleries in London. Months later, he helped to install the exhibition <i>When Attitudes Become Form</i> at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Harrison also wrote the catalogue text, published in <i>...

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Main Author: Stephen Moonie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-01-01
Series:Arts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/1/23
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author Stephen Moonie
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description In May 1969, Charles Harrison reviewed Morris Louis’ exhibition at the Waddington Galleries in London. Months later, he helped to install the exhibition <i>When Attitudes Become Form</i> at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Harrison also wrote the catalogue text, published in <i>Studio International</i>. Those two texts marked a significant point in Harrison’s career. They were indicative of his disillusionment with modernist criticism, and of his burgeoning interest in the work of post-minimal and conceptual art. In this respect, the two essays mark a transition from modernism to post-modernism in the space between a formalist analysis of the art object and a more dispersed field of artistic practice, where a changed relationship between art practice, criticism, and curating was taking place. However, in the 2000s, Harrison came to reflect upon this cardinal moment. Harrison referred to his recollected experiences of the late 1960s as a ‘cherished moment of involuntary realism’, opening up issues around art writing which remain pertinent to the practice of art history.
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spelling doaj.art-6a0120f014e9482a964480f29e5c19fa2023-11-23T18:42:21ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522022-01-011112310.3390/arts11010023Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art WritingStephen Moonie0Department of Fine Art, School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UKIn May 1969, Charles Harrison reviewed Morris Louis’ exhibition at the Waddington Galleries in London. Months later, he helped to install the exhibition <i>When Attitudes Become Form</i> at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Harrison also wrote the catalogue text, published in <i>Studio International</i>. Those two texts marked a significant point in Harrison’s career. They were indicative of his disillusionment with modernist criticism, and of his burgeoning interest in the work of post-minimal and conceptual art. In this respect, the two essays mark a transition from modernism to post-modernism in the space between a formalist analysis of the art object and a more dispersed field of artistic practice, where a changed relationship between art practice, criticism, and curating was taking place. However, in the 2000s, Harrison came to reflect upon this cardinal moment. Harrison referred to his recollected experiences of the late 1960s as a ‘cherished moment of involuntary realism’, opening up issues around art writing which remain pertinent to the practice of art history.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/1/23Art & LanguageMorris Louismodernist criticismpostminimalism
spellingShingle Stephen Moonie
Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
Arts
Art & Language
Morris Louis
modernist criticism
postminimalism
title Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
title_full Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
title_fullStr Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
title_full_unstemmed Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
title_short Our Cherished Moments of Involuntary Realism: Charles Harrison, Modernism, and Art Writing
title_sort our cherished moments of involuntary realism charles harrison modernism and art writing
topic Art & Language
Morris Louis
modernist criticism
postminimalism
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/1/23
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