Word: modernize
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...free-swinging essays on the philosophy of art, Schapiro finds that modern artists have rebelled against the use of noble images--religious scenes, Greek myths--as the artistic ideal. They substitute for it a new "pure art" that "derives its effects from elements peculiar to itself," not from the imitation of identifiable objects. This anti-objective style allows for the creation of a "universal art"--one that cuts across time and culture and makes art intelligible to all. Abstraction protects the artist's freedom, which Schapiro calls an "indispensible condition," The loss of the decorum and restraint necessary to traditional...
...answer these questions, Schapiro discusses the social forces and the reactions to modern art that have influenced the artistic personality. Most significantly, the modern artist does not use reality as a source of inspiration but instead finds it constraining or destructive. To escape the confines of reality, the modern artist has abandoned the recognizable objects that limit the artistic imagination...
...shortest of his essays, "On the Humanity of Abstract Painting," Schapiro defends modern art against the charge of inhumanity. He asserts that humanity in art "is not confined to the image of man. Man shows himself too in his relations to the surroundings, in his artifacts, and in the expressive character of all the signs and marks he produces...
...discouraging mass of insensitive imitations." His argument is simple: we have a moral responsibility to like abstract art and a moral duty to defend it. If we don't fulfill these tasks, we are insensitive. Worse, he labels as brain-damaged those who refuse to properly appreciate modern art. Those who condemn abstraction do so, because they require an "already known order, familiar and reassuring." Amazingly, Schapiro calls on a neurologist to verify this "handicap": "The sense of order in the patient is an expression of his impoverishment with respect to an essentially human trait: the capacity for adequate shifting...
WHEN MEYER SCHAPIRO began to analyze modern art in the 1940's, he brought with him the distinguished reputation of a medieval scholar and the enthusiasm for a new project. Now, 30 years later, he has collected ten essays which allow him to interweave artistic theory and specific case studies with great skill and ease. Although his unclear writing and intolerant posture often mar Modern Art, Schapiro's analyses are intriguing and worth reading...