American University
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Colorful Language: Morris Louis, Formalist Criticism, and Masculinity in Postwar America

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posted on 2023-09-07, 05:07 authored by Paul Vincent

American art at mid-century went through a pivotal shift when the dominant gestural style of Abstract Expressionism was criticized for its expressive painterly qualities in the 1950s. By 1960, critics such as Clement Greenberg and Michael Fried were already championing Color Field painting for its controlled use of color and flattened abstract forms. Morris Louis, whose art typifies this latter style, and the criticism written about his work provides a crucial insight into the socio-cultural implications behind this stylistic shift. An analysis of the formalist writing Greenberg used to promote Louis's work provides a better understanding of not only postwar American art but also the concepts of masculinity and gender hierarchy that factored into how it was discussed at the time.

History

Publisher

American University

Notes

Degree awarded: M.A. Art. American University

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/16920

Degree grantor

American University. Department of Art

Degree level

  • Masters

Submission ID

10711