Highrises of the Inward Eye

As a critic, writing in good faith, it is impossible for me to make any too tall claims for works done in the contemporary period (the 'contemporary' being synonymous only with the life time of each living person). Further, if modern art existed within a fixed tradition, it would be possible to judge it by standards of technique and sensibility derived from that tradition. But modern artists usually are not governed by traditional rules accepted by themselves and their critics. What is meant by tradition is highly disputable, because the strength of…