Leiden University Student Repository

Vlies, Roel van der (2016)

Pro- or Anti-Autonomy: A Comparative Study of Notions of Avant-Garde by Clement Greenberg and Peter Bürger

Master thesis | Arts and Culture (MA)

This study analyzes the relation between avant-garde and the autonomy of art. Although the phenomenon of avant-garde is widely discussed, there is no agreement about this concept. The central disagreement seems to be based on the understanding of art as autonomous versus an interpretation of art as an instrument for advancement in society, as exemplified by the theories of Clement Greenberg and Peter Bürger. This study proceeds then to analyze a more original understanding of autonomy, as described by Immanuel Kant, followed by a more recent understanding of autonomy.

avant-garde

autonomy

Clement Greenberg

Peter Bürger

Author

Vlies, Roel van der

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Arts and Culture: Art of the Contemporary World and World Art Studies

Supervisors

Westgeest, Helen

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en