Essay #1 From Winn Becton

Greenberg argues that modernism in painting does not represent a radical rupture with representational painting but rather is a continuation of the evolution of pictorial art. This evolution is a byproduct of critical thinking. He endeavors to prove this by tracing the evolution of flatness through western painting beginning with the Renaissance.
Greenberg further states that Modernism in art is the practice of critical thinking in relation to the practice of painting or producing art. It is the stressing of the ineluctable flatness of the surface that remained, however, more fundamental than anything else to the processes by which pictoral art critized and defined itself under Modernism. For flatness alone was unique and exclusive to pictoral art. The Old Masters had sensed that it was necessary to preserve what is called the integrity of the picture plane; that is, to signify the enduring presence of flatness underneath and above the most vivid illusion of three-dimensional space. One tends to see what is in the Old Master before one sees the picture itself.
Below I have three artists discussed trying to show that they evolved from Traditional painting to Modernism. They are Manet, Cezanne, and Kandinsky.
Edouard Manet January 23, 1832, Paris France to April 30, 1883. He was a French painter and printmaker who in his own work accomplished the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Manet broke new ground in choosing subjects from his own time and in stressing the definition of painting as the arrangement of paint areas on a canvas over and above its function as representation. From 1850 to 1856 Manet studied under academic painter Thomas Couture, a painter of large historical paintings. In his spare time he copied the Old Masters in the Louvre. In 1850 to 1856 he opened his own studio. His style in the period was characterized by loose brush strokes, simplification of details and the suppression of transitional tones. (wikipedia)
Paul Cezanne January 19, 1839 - October 22, 1906. He was a french artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundation of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Impressionism and the early 20th century's new line of artistic enquiry and Cubism. He was interested in the simplication of naturally occuring forms to their geometric essentials, he wanted to "treat nature by the cyclinder, the sphere, the cone" ( a tree trunk may be concieved as a cyclinder, an apple, or a orange a sphere, for example). (wikipedia)
Wassily Kandinsky December 4, 1866 - December 13, 1944. He was a Russian writer and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first Modern Abstract works.He started painting studies ( life-drawings and anatomy ) at the age of 30 after becoming successsful as a Lawyer and Teacher. His creation of purely abstract work followed a long period of development and maturation of intense theoretical thought based on his personal artistic experiences. He called his devotions of inner beauty, fervor of spirit, and deep spiritual desire "Inner Necessity". He felt this a central aspect of his art. As stated " concerning the spiritual in art" Kadinsky felt that an authentic artist creates art from an internal necessity. He inhabits the tip of an upward moving triangle.This progressing triangle is penetrating and proceeding into tomorrow. Accordingly, what was odd or inconcievable yesterday is commonplace today. Kandisky had become aware of recent developments in the Sciences, as well as advances of modern artists who had contributed to radically new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.
I agree with the arguement that Modern art is a Continuation of the past. My own experience as an artist is one of evolving. I look on all this evolution as a natural progression. I believe that it is a good and helpful experience to learn the basics of art ( drawing, perspective, color, shading, design etc... ) in order to develop as an artist. Critical thinking is essential to art. There has never been a time when the past has not shaped the present and the future. Every person and endeavor will always evolve from the past and present. It is impossible nor desireable to escape the influence of the Traditional art of the past. Modernism emerged because of critical thinking and a desire to use art as commentary. Greenberg said it well: Nothing could be further from the authentic art of our time than the idea of a rupture of continuity. Art is - among other things - continuity, and unthinkable with out it.
I think there is a link between the advances in the science ( especially Physics ) and art. This was touched on in this article of Greenberg's. This is an idea that is being thought about right now. I think it is an exciting area of study.