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The Boundary Between Art and Non-Art in the Face of the Crisis of Representation: From the Avant-Garde to Contemporary Art
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Sima Ashrafi   |
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Abstract: (5 Views) |
Abstract:
This study focuses on the position of painting in relation to the crisis of representation and the boundary between art and non-art, a crisis that emerged from the avant-garde movements of the twentieth century and has persisted, in an expanded form, into the contemporary era. Adopting an analytical-comparative approach and drawing on Clement Greenberg’s theory of medium purity, Arthur Danto’s idea of the “end of art,” and Peter Osborne’s concept of the post-conceptual condition, the study seeks to examine whether contemporary painting can still derive meaning through representation or must be redefined within the horizon of the post-medium condition.
The findings indicate that the logic of negation in the avant-garde movements, although resulting in a rupture from mimetic representation, laid the groundwork for a transformation in the very nature of painting. From the mid-twentieth century onward, the works of artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Lucio Fontana broke through the boundaries of the canvas and of painting itself, paving the way for what Rosalind Krauss later termed the post-medium condition and revealing the potential of painting as a reflection on its own medium.
The analysis of theoretical foundations and historical examples in this study suggests that the crisis of representation is not a sign of the end of painting, but rather an opportunity for its continuation and reinvention within the framework of contemporary multimedia discourses. Consequently, in its current condition, painting no longer seeks to maintain medium-specific stability but instead moves toward a form of conceptual fluidity and ongoing self-reflection on the boundaries between art and non-art. |
Article number: 1 |
| Keywords: Avant-garde, Crisis of Representation, Boundary between Art and Non-Art, Contemporary Painting, Post medium |
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Full-Text [DOCX 1345 kb]
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Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2025/09/20 | Accepted: 2025/11/18 | Published: 2025/11/18
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