ArtH 492:  List #1

Some important Names of Critics and Literary personalities Associated with the Period 1950-1970

1. Roger Fry: late 19^th-early 20^th century English Critic important in the           establishment of the 20^th century concept of “Modernism”; coined the term Post-Impressionism.
2. Clive Bell:  late 19^th-early 20^th century English critic important in establishing the concept of “plastic values” (and formalist approaches) as the essential foundation of evaluating art, especially Modern Art.
3. Clement Greenberg:  most powerful American critic of the late 1940s-1960s in establishing a formalist approach to defining “Modernism” in the mid-20^th century.  Coined the term “Post-Painterly Abstraction.”
4. Michael Fried: American critic and like Greenberg, a proponent of a formalist approach to defining Modernism in the mid-20^th century.
5. Jules Langsner: American critic, curator, who initially coined the term “Hard-Edged” in 1959 to describe a group of abstract paintings.
6. Lawrence Alloway: Anglo-American critic who coined the term “Pop Art” and supported a more open and flexible approach to defining Modernism. Also further defined the term “Hard-Edged.”
7. Robert Rosenblum: Modernist American Art Historian (Princeton, NYU-IFA).
8. Hilton Kramer: Important American Critic (NY Times) supporting the Ab-X and abstract artists during the 60s and 70s.
9. Richard Wollheim: British Professor of Logic and sometime critic given credit for helping to coin and define “Minimalism” in 1965.
10. Barbara Rose: American critic and writer on Modernist and Contemporary American Art.
11. Marshall McLuhan:  American writer on aspects of Popular and Media culture.  Wrote the influential 1964 book, Understanding Media.  Coined the well-known phrase, “the medium is the message.”
12. Henry Geldzahler:  American critic, Curator of contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum, supporter of Pop artists.
13. Alan Solomon: American critic.
14. Brian O’Doherty: American critic, especially literary part of the circle of artists emerging in the 1960s and ‘70s.
15. Leo Castelli:  important New York collector and gallery dealer beginning in the 1950s, supporting many of the artists associated with emerging Pop Art.
16. Adam Gopnik: American critic, writer and curator.
17. Gene Swenson: American critic, writer.
18. John Cage: Important modern American composer and friend of the circle of artists around Allan Kaprow, Robert Rauschenberg and others associated with the evolution of Pop Art.
    
    
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