Leo Steinberg (b.1920) from Other Criteria pp. 61-98

The extract taken discusses the changes that occurred in art during the 1950s onwards. Steinberg argues that during this period there is a distinct change in painting style from vertical to horizontal perspectives. He defines vertical painting as any form of work that uses illusion to create depth and perspective and considers it to be a continuation of the ‘Old Masters’ principles and celebration of the natural world over the man made. Consider this to be any work in which the artist aims to portray what he see in front and around him whilst in an upright position. Steinberg argues that this is outdated and that in order to move forward art has to accept the idea of a horizontal perspective in which the painter aims to obtain a flat surface such as the floor below his feet or the top his desk. This new form of art should be adaptive and react to the new man made environment it is surrounded by.

Richard Serra (b. 1939) from The Yale Lecture

This extract comments on the change in sculptural art that took place during the 1980’s. Serra suggests that sculpture has stagnated since the coming of the modernist sculpture and has failed to adapt to the industrial and social revolutions of the time period. He argues that other industries such as construction and architecture have seized on these opportunities’ to use new materials such as steel. In reaction to this, he suggests that sculpture should move towards more site-specific constructs using modern materials and techniques. Serra believes that sculptures built in a studio fail to react to their final environment properly and thus the viewer will always fail to envision the artist’s concept correctly. However, Serra recognises that installation and site-specific artwork relies on corporate funding, as it is not commercial enough to be sold independently and therefore has to be commissioned. As a result the artist believe that is site-specific artwork is prone to the manipulation of its funders in order to relay a message of desire and one that the artist does not stand for.

The two texts both reflect on how art should be adaptive to its time period and that what is radical at the time soon becomes old. As a result, art should always be changing to represent the most prominent or most important movements in a way to support the artist’s views and ideas and to create a greater change.