Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Into The Basque Country: The Spiritual Underpinnings Of Eduardo Chillida's Gure Aitaren Etxea, Katherine J.E. Scalia

Theses and Dissertations

In 1988, Eduardo Chillida dedicated his sculpture, Gure Aitaren Etxea, to the victims of the 1937 Spanish Civil War aerial attack on the city of Gernika. This thesis maintains that beyond memorial, the sculpture can be understood as a sacred site and examines the sources of the sculpture’s spiritual dimension, paying particular attention to the work’s underlying Basque influences. Gernika’s cultural significance, the intricacies of the Basque language, and the history of Basque Nationalist ideology are addressed. The paper concludes, however, that while Chillida found great stimulus within his own culture, the sculpture’s ability to serve as refuge, sanctuary, …

In Present Past: Sun Tunnels And The Historic Reconstruction Of Vision, Patrice M. Capobianchi

Theses and Dissertations

The following study investigates how Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels makes effective use of time and land to reprogram the modern viewer’s eye. By utilizing sculpture that is reminiscent of pre-historic observatories as an observational framing device against the landscape topography, the artwork succeeds in presenting a historic reconstruction of vision.

The Narrative Of Revolution: Socialism And The Masses 1911-1917, Stephen K. Walkiewicz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to situate The Masses magazine (1911-1917) within a specific discursive tradition of revolution, revealing a narrative pattern that is linked with discourse that began to emerge during and after the French Revolution. As the term “socialism” begins to resonate again within popular American political discourse (and as a potentially viable course of action rather than a curse for damnable offense), it is worthwhile to trace its significance within American history to better understand its aesthetic dimensions, its radical difference, and its way of devising problems and answers. In short, this thesis poses the question: what ideological structures …

The Labyrinth And The Cave: Archaic Forms In Art And Architecture Of Europe, 1952–1972, Paula Burleigh

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the prevalence of spatial archetypes as potent symbols that manifested in art, architecture, exhibition design, and urban planning in the aftermath of World War II and into the Cold War. Owing to the dual influence of structuralism and phenomenology in French intellectual culture, many examples discussed here were produced in France or made by artists who spent significant time there. These figures include Jacqueline de Jong, Paul Virilio, Claude Parent, André Bloc, and the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV), all of whom made projects evoking speculative realities that oscillated between utopian and dystopian.

Given their focus …