ABSTRACT
Modernism in Canada: Clement Greenberg and
Canadian Art.
Daniel J. Currell
1995
This thesis is a study of Clement Greenberg's approach to
the art and artists in the United States versus his approach in Canada, in his effort to
promote "modernism." Greenberg's promotion of his concepts of modernism became
in fact, a quest for the establishment of the primacy of an art movement which he would
name Post-Painterly Abstraction. He believed that this tendency, which was also called
chromatic abstraction, colour or colour-field painting, was the logical successor in the
evolutionary history of modern art. The steps Greenberg took in his bid to ensure the
supremacy of this art movement were the same, regardless of whether he was acting in the
United States or Canada.
In this thesis, Greenberg's concepts of modernism are
examined, followed by an analysis of his approach to the American art and artists upon
whom he had an impact. The similarity of this approach in the Canadian context is shown
through a study of his association with Painters Eleven in Toronto, with particular
emphasis on his relationship with Jack Bush, as well as an analysis of his
all-encompassing involvement in the art of Western Canada.
Greenberg's fervent involvement in the Canadian art scene
resulted in controversy that split the artistic community into pro and anti-Greenberg
factions. This controversy, which included an anti-American political factor, is also
analyzed.
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