Harold Rosenberg: A Critic's Life

Harold Rosenberg was one of the most influential art critics of the 20th century. His writings on abstract expressionism helped to define the movement and its place in the history of art. Rosenberg was a close friend and confidant of many of the leading abstract expressionist artists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko. His writings helped to shape their thinking about their own work and to promote their work to a wider audience.

Harold Rosenberg: A Critic‘s Life

by Debra Bricker Balken

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6340 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	656 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

Early Life and Education

Harold Rosenberg was born in New York City in 1906. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as a tailor. His mother was a Romanian immigrant who worked as a seamstress. Rosenberg grew up in a poor neighborhood in the Bronx. He was a bright child and excelled in school. He attended City College of New York and then Columbia University, where he studied literature and philosophy.

Early Career

After graduating from Columbia University, Rosenberg worked as a journalist and editor for several magazines. In 1940, he began writing art criticism for the Partisan Review. His early writings were influenced by the work of the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Rosenberg argued that art should be a force for social change. He believed that artists should use their work to challenge the status quo and to promote social justice.

Abstract Expressionism

In the late 1940s, Rosenberg began to write about abstract expressionism. He was one of the first critics to recognize the importance of this new movement. He argued that abstract expressionism was a radical break with the past. It was a new way of painting that was based on the artist's own emotions and experiences. Rosenberg's writings helped to legitimize abstract expressionism and to make it one of the most important art movements of the 20th century.

Later Career

In the 1950s and 1960s, Rosenberg continued to write about art criticism. He also taught at several universities, including the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1978, he published his most famous book, The Tradition of the New. In this book, Rosenberg argued that abstract expressionism was a new tradition in art that was based on the artist's own experiences and emotions. He believed that this new tradition would continue to be influential in the years to come.

Legacy

Harold Rosenberg died in 1978. He was one of the most influential art critics of the 20th century. His writings on abstract expressionism helped to define the movement and its place in the history of art. He was a close friend and confidant of many of the leading abstract expressionist artists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko. His writings helped to shape their thinking about their own work and to promote their work to a wider audience.

Suggested Reading

• Harold Rosenberg, The Tradition of the New (1978)
• Robert Rosenblum, Harold Rosenberg: A Critic's Life (2008)
• Clement Greenberg, Art and Culture (1961)
• Jackson Pollock, Writings and Interviews (2000)
• Willem de Kooning, Writings and Interviews (2003)
• Mark Rothko, Writings and Interviews (2004)

Harold Rosenberg: A Critic‘s Life

by Debra Bricker Balken

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6340 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	656 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE