CONTEXT OF PRACTICE

COP NOTES - Modern Art in the Common Culture? What..?

"mass culture is never left behind in the modernist practice, but persists as a constant pressure on the artist, which severely restricts creative 'freedom'. 'Quality', it is true, remained in his eyes exclusively with the remnant of traditional high culture, but mass culture was prior and determining modernism was its effect." - Greenberg 

"individuality must lose its exclusiveness and its ruthless and perverse character." - Greenberg, 1936 essay.

• I was doing some further reading into the topic I am currently interested in. I have to say that the book wasn't particularly helpful as it mainly discusses 'art' that responded to culture in particular, rather than its links or influences on each other. 

• Though I thought that those two particular quotes throughout the book stood out to me. I do agree with the statements "severely restricts creative 'freedom'" and "individuality must lose its exclusiveness". This book was written around 1998, but I feel that these theories particularly relate to current creative practitioners. 

• I feel that it is a good thing that art is loosing its exclusiveness and creative practitioners are creating work that are responses to the world or at the very least meaningful. 

• However it is the 'mass culture', the media and modern society that may influence the artists' practice. I am not trying to generalise this statement, however it is something that could be seen to some creative practitioner with no distinct practice. Some tend to be immersed by clients, trend,  other creative practitioners or society's preference. (too fixated on others, rather than trying to develop their own practice)

Source:

T, Crow. Modern Art in the Common Culture. 1998. Yale University Press, New Haven and London.