An Introduction to Form and Formalism in Modern Art

This article, mainly intends to survey the concepts of form and formalism, and their reflection in visual arts as a basic branch of modernist movement. In order to do so, the method of a contemporary theorist and critic, i.e. Greenberg's formalistic criticism, will be analyzed. According to formalism, says Greenberg, it is formal characteristics that constitute an artwork, thus its content would be the outcome of the realization of the form. Hence, the content of an artwork is a function of the formal elements. Greenberg bases his formalistic criticism on Kant's Critique of Judgment. Kant considered for art an independent distinct arena, which led to the 'Art for Art's Sake' movement in the formalistic art. Moreover, Greenberg's view on form was reinforced by Kant's Third Moment. He formulates his formalistic criticism on the basis of the concepts of autonomy and independence. In fact, Greenberg makes the Third Critique functional, regarding it as the philosophical foundation of modernism in general and formalism in particular. This article will consider the major elements of Kant's Third Critique concerning the form and formalism, and also their impacts on Greenberg; it will analyze his innovations in the field of art criticism, specially painting. Furthermore, it will explain the reasons why formalism influenced the contemporary art criticism, and will articulate the influence of Greenberg, as a forerunner of this trend, on the modernist artists.