| Robert Morris (b. 1931) enjoys canonical status within art history as an artist associated with Minimalism. However, this privileged position distorts the contribution Morris made to the course of Late Modern or Postmodern conceptual art during the latter half of the 20th century. Morris's critical reception is limited by the ongoing emphasis on his artistic endeavors of the 1960s as his signature style. While Morris adopted artistic strategies that extended the formal limitations of Minimalism, and has continued exploring new and diverse artistic avenues, the art he produced during his mature years has either been ignored or severely impugned. Influenced by the posthumous publication of Ludwig Wittgenstein's writings, Morris treats art as a "language-game" whereby the Modern art world functions as a "form of life" with unique rules by which the game is played. This dissertation examines Morris's oeuvre as a case study to assess the utility of Wittgenstein's theories for art history. Wittgenstein was widely read and referenced by many of the seminal Conceptual Artists, including Morris. To clarify his concept of the language-game, Wittgenstein relied upon an ocularcentric discourse revolving around his theories of "seeing as", "noticing an aspect", "continuous seeing", and "aspect blindness". Morris's exploration of these ideas reveals limitations and contradictions inherent within art historical discourse, especially as it relates to the formalist theories of Modern Art as promoted by Clement Greenberg and Michael Fried. Morris's philosophical approach to art results in an ongoing interrogation of the rules of Modern art, especially the concept of an artist's original genius as exhibited through the creation of and devotion to a signature style. By developing numerous styles that share Wittgensteinian "family resemblances," Morris abrogates this Modernist rule Taking Wittgenstein's concepts to their logical conclusion, Moms treats art as a game with Marcel Duchamp, Jackson Pollock, and Jasper Johns as both his opponents and teammates. |
