Zombie Formalism

Zombie Formalism is a term coined by the artist and critic Walter Robinson. In his opinion, the revived concept of abstract art is a combination of formalist methods in painting and the zombielike return of the discarded aesthetics of Clement Greenberg, art critic responsible for the promotion of the American abstract expressionist movement. From the Robinsons point of view, the success of the “new” movement can be attributed to the art flippers among others who are betting on the safe sales and qualities such as elegance, simplicity and other convenient features that can be well incorporated into high-end interior design. The struggle to understand the minimalist or abstract works in the past was replaced by the fetishism of the artistic process as the only way of creating something truly original in our time like the first ever painting done by applying paint with fire extinguisher. There are several other critics who share the common ground and who see this tailor-made art as the art that was primarily motivated by the art market demands. Rather than doing actual experiments artists are finding a way to produce new but ultimately the same paintings that can fetch bigger amounts of money. Everyone plays safe and everyone is content in the end, except those who are actually contemplating on the current state of the art world and the art history.