Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock
Clement Greenberg interpreted the rise of authentic modern art as a rejection of kitsch and “half-baked” religiosity and celebrated Jackson Pollock as representing what he called for. However, his presentation of Pollock as a leading modernist fails to do justice to his lifelong spiritual quest and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Arts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/2/54 |
| _version_ | 1797606504354807808 |
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| author | Elizabeth L. Langhorne |
| author_facet | Elizabeth L. Langhorne |
| author_sort | Elizabeth L. Langhorne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Clement Greenberg interpreted the rise of authentic modern art as a rejection of kitsch and “half-baked” religiosity and celebrated Jackson Pollock as representing what he called for. However, his presentation of Pollock as a leading modernist fails to do justice to his lifelong spiritual quest and to his desire to reach a broad public, which led him to open his art and person to the popular media of photography and film. Following Greenberg, Donald Kuspit would have us understand Pollock’s embrace of and by the public as a self-betrayal, transforming his great abstractions into decorative kitsch. Kuspit’s understanding of Pollock’s “true self”, however, cannot convince. His embrace of the public did lead Pollock to doubt his artistic enterprise: his dream of art as alchemy. But, the great abstractions testify to the power of that dream to create great art, challenging us to reconsider the relationship between authentic art and mass culture, of modernism, spirituality, and the public. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:16:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93a50fb53d87426ca0805d0db134af02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:16:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-93a50fb53d87426ca0805d0db134af022023-11-17T18:15:34ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522023-03-011225410.3390/arts12020054Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson PollockElizabeth L. Langhorne0Department of Art, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 06050, USAClement Greenberg interpreted the rise of authentic modern art as a rejection of kitsch and “half-baked” religiosity and celebrated Jackson Pollock as representing what he called for. However, his presentation of Pollock as a leading modernist fails to do justice to his lifelong spiritual quest and to his desire to reach a broad public, which led him to open his art and person to the popular media of photography and film. Following Greenberg, Donald Kuspit would have us understand Pollock’s embrace of and by the public as a self-betrayal, transforming his great abstractions into decorative kitsch. Kuspit’s understanding of Pollock’s “true self”, however, cannot convince. His embrace of the public did lead Pollock to doubt his artistic enterprise: his dream of art as alchemy. But, the great abstractions testify to the power of that dream to create great art, challenging us to reconsider the relationship between authentic art and mass culture, of modernism, spirituality, and the public.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/2/54Jackson Pollockkitschfilmmodernismalchemyspiritual quest |
| spellingShingle | Elizabeth L. Langhorne Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock Arts Jackson Pollock kitsch film modernism alchemy spiritual quest |
| title | Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock |
| title_full | Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock |
| title_fullStr | Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock |
| title_short | Self-Betrayal or Self-Deception? The Case of Jackson Pollock |
| title_sort | self betrayal or self deception the case of jackson pollock |
| topic | Jackson Pollock kitsch film modernism alchemy spiritual quest |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/2/54 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elizabethllanghorne selfbetrayalorselfdeceptionthecaseofjacksonpollock |