Avant-garde and kitsch. In Vpered, 2020-12-31.

The material is a translation of Clement Greenberg's essay. The text consists of an introduction and four parts.

In the introduction, the author raises the question of why avant-garde art and kitsch coexist within the same cultures.

The first part examines the genesis of avant-garde culture, from politicized protest against academicism to hermetic “pure” art.

The second part explains the social and economic preconditions for the emergence of kitsch. Kitsch appears as a response to the cultural demands of the proletariat, which was formed as a result of the industrial revolution, alienated from folk culture and at the same time unable to perceive highbrow culture.

The third part demonstrates the reasons for the popularity of kitsch: ease of perception and accessibility.

In the fourth part, the author focuses on the theme of kitsch as the official culture of totalitarian political regimes. It is the difficulty of popularization and use for propaganda purposes, rather than its critical potential, that he considers to be the reason for the repression of avant-garde art by totalitarian leaders.

Translated from English: «Vpered»

Original: Clement Greenberg, “Avant-Garde and Kitsch,” in Art and Culture: Critical Essays, Boston: Beacon Press, 1989, pp. 3-21.