Rosalind Krauss’s 1999 essay "Reinventing the Medium" defines the "post-medium condition" by arguing that artists must replace traditional material-based mediums with technical supports derived from obsolete technologies. The text highlights artists like James Coleman and William Kentridge who use these constraints to create a "differential specificity" in their work. The full text is available for download at Critical Inquiry .
Many scanned versions omit the footnotes. Krauss’s footnotes are legendary—they contain half the argument (debates with Stanley Cavell, citations of Gilles Deleuze). When downloading any PDF, ensure it includes pages 308-312 (the notes). Without them, you lose the chassis of her intellectual architecture.
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Krauss does not advocate for a conservative return to traditional oil painting or marble sculpture. Instead, she argues that avant-garde artists must the very concept of a medium from within contemporary technological realities.
The state of contemporary art where traditional, medium-specific boundaries (painting vs. sculpture) have dissolved. Many scanned versions omit the footnotes
A crucial element in Krauss’s theory is the concept of , a term she borrows and adapts from the Marxist cultural critic Walter Benjamin.
The recent resurgence of analog photography, vinyl records, and modular synthesizers among contemporary artists can be viewed precisely through Krauss’s lens of redemptive obsolescence. Without them, you lose the chassis of her
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As the art world continues to evolve and change, Krauss's ideas remain as relevant and insightful as ever. The availability of the essay in PDF format has ensured its continued accessibility and dissemination, allowing readers around the world to engage with Krauss's innovative thinking and intellectual rigor.
Analyze how this essay connects to Krauss's earlier work on Provide a detailed summary of her critique of digital media