Modern art is a unique creation all it's own, and since its beginnings, there have been two
             very distinct groups: the Formalists and the Avant-Garde. The Formalist group believes in the literal representation of the artwork. They value the form used, whether it be how the colors are stressed or the techniques used over the idea behind the artwork. Avant-Garde artists, on the other hand, are more interested in the creation of art in order to challenge what exactly art is and can be. They have tried to break down the boundaries of what art is.
             I selected Piet Modrian as the artist I looked at regarding Formalism. His work seemed to change over a period of time. His "Woods" done in 1910 showed a typical painting of the forest. By typical I mean that the depiction of the forest was done to look like a forest on the canvas. The next piece of "Tree" done in 1911 showed a more abstract form of trees while you could still detect on a lot of movement within the painting. The shapes and negative space between the lines is what became more important in his work. He then created "Composition with Trees" in 1914. This piece as his previous ones was even more abstract and was honing in on the form of the painting. Later he created a piece known only as "Composition", removing the trees and woods altogether from the title. He was trying to create the essence of nature using rectangles and simplifying lines to their primary essence. He also used more primary colors versus his previous works done in black and white.
             This idea that Mondrian was using while creating his works of art was one of the ideas
             that Clement Greenberg was dealing with in his works. Greenberg said that the actual painting
             over the form is what makes the artwork abstract.1 Greenberg believed that one could reduce art
             to its pure essence and form. Greenberg also believed in the idea that the flatness of the work is
             what comes first and that what is ins...