Part II: Postmodernist Art Criticism

One central question for a theorist writing about contemporary visual art is what literary style to adopt in describing that work. Contrasting Clement Greenberg’s art history narrative to the more recent writings of Joseph Masheck, the author indicates how the tradition of Byzantine aesthetics and a study of icons provide a novel framework for the discussion of modern abstract painting. Refusing to describe these recent works as the latest stage in a long process of historical development, Masheck’s texts force us to think for ourselves about the general lessons implicit in his assembled examples.