The early criticism of Andre Salmon: A study of his thoughts on Cubism.
Item
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Title
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The early criticism of Andre Salmon: A study of his thoughts on Cubism.
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Identifier
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AAI9009735
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identifier
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9009735
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Creator
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Gersh-Nesic, Beth Susan.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Rose-Carol Washton Long
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Date
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1989
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Fine Arts | Literature, Romance
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Abstract
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Determining the interrelationship of Salmon's membership in la bande a Picasso, his poetry, and nominalist philosophy is of paramount importance when analyzing his criticism of Cubism. This dissertation explores all four areas in order to extrapolate the consistencies and prejudices inherent in his critical points of view.;To accomplish this task each chapter is devoted to one aspect. The introduction rehearses the history of art-historical literature on Cubism and the place of Salmon's writings in relation to other histories of Cubism; the second chapter describes his life, locating him within the context of early twentieth century avant-garde circles in Paris; the third chapter explains his nominalist philosophy and its roots; the fourth chapter analyzes his application of nominalist ideas to his criticism of Cubism; the fifth chapter compares his version of the history of Cubism to those versions composed by other eyewitnesses Guillaume Apollinaire and Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler in order to further elucidate Salmon's unique vision of the Cubist movement; and the sixth chapter summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of his writings.;It is hoped that Salmon's separation of Picasso from the other practitioners of Cubism (here called "public" Cubists, after Christopher Green's differentiation of "public" and "private" Cubism in Leger and the Avant-garde) will help clarify the tenets of Cubism in a more authentic manner. That is to say, that repositioning Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, etc., at the center of Cubism as Daniel Robbins suggests in his texts on these artists (rather than as the "satellites" as Robert Rosenblum described them in his book Cubism and Twentieth-Century Art) would reveal the true workings of the movement within the context of the art world at large. These Cubists, as Salmon explained, represented the movement to the artists who came to Paris to see their exhibitions, study their techniques, and then, stay in Paris or return to their homelands to spread the news and convert their students. Thus, the style of "public" Cubism was received as the model during the early part of the twentieth century, while Picasso's contribution galvanized the movement and then stood apart, tangential to the internationally recognized Cubist aesthetic. With this concept of the authentic Cubism in mind, Salmon's criticism confirms Robbins' view of Cubism, as well as adds to our understanding of the history of Cubism already informed by Apollinaire's and Kahnweiler's more popular versions.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
