Art and Design Commons^™

The Modern Formulation Of Chinese Art History And The Building Of A Nation In Early Twentieth-Century China, Chennie Huang

Dissertations and Theses

At the dawn of the twentieth century, the Chinese formulation of art history underwent dramatic changes. It moved away from the traditional narratives that did not follow a strict chronology to adopt the Western linear model which emphasizes progress and national identity. Based on the premodern tradition, the modern formulations of Chinese art history began as a political strategy for nation building amid the political upheavals, including military attacks on China that led to the end of Qing imperial rule and the beginning of the Republican era (1912-1949).

In the early 1900s, while exiled in Japan, Liang Qichao 梁啟超 (1873-1929), …

Expressionist Art And Drama Before, During, And After The Weimar Republic, Shane Michael Kennedy

Dissertations and Theses

Expressionism was the major literary and art form in Germany beginning in the early 20th century. It flourished before and during World War I and continued to be the dominant art for of the Early Weimar Republic. By 1924, Neue Sachlichkeit replaced Expressionism as the dominant art form in Germany. Many Expressionists claimed they were never truly apart of Expressionism. However, in the periodization and canonization many of these young artists are labeled as Expressionist.

This thesis examines the periodization and canonization of Expression in art, drama, and film and proves that Expressionism began much earlier than scholars believe and …

Preternatural Rhythm: A Vernacular Application Of The Systemic Grid With Respect To The Influence Of Organic Processes, Mark Richardson Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The practice of Systemic Art was first introduced under the pretext of Minimal/Conceptual art processes in the 1960s, which incorporated the presentation of empty gridded armatures and self-referential charts, (termed non-relational arrangement) as a means of democratizing esthetic content. Systemic objects stressed industrial fabrication and materials m their manufacture over traditional notions of individualized craft, with the intent to demystify the role of the artist in the creative process. For those reasons, systemic practice has remained highly influential among artists concerned with the public context of aesthetics, although its recent applications have gravitated towards incorporation of disparate materials and …

Combining The Historical And The Personal In Painting, Christopher A. Shotola-Hardt

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis project consists of five large scale, abstract paintings executed on Masonite panels. A major component of these paintings is the heavily built-up surface texture. In order to achieve this heavy, sculptural surface, plaster and acrylic media have been applied in an aggressive, spontaneous manner using variously-sized masonry knives. The paintings are largely action-oriented. They are non-neutral, and they bespeak a great deal of intensity on the part of the artist.

The five paintings contain emotional content based upon personal experiences and family history. In some cases, I began a painting with the subject matter clearly in mind. In …

Counting Vessels, M. Siri Amrit Kroesen

Dissertations and Theses

The discussion and illustration of how paintings function as thresholds is examined in the thesis report and the thesis exhibition, Threshold implies the passage of how an artist approaches the processes of seeing. The painting is the entry point, a place of connection of artist and viewer, a record of human experience transforming individual, interdependent and universal knowledge. Issues of the human body's relationship to vessels, and the metaphor that is integrated in relationship of space and proximity is explored. The significance of symbols and signs and the interplay of historical and personal imagery are examined through the precepts of …

Songs And Stories That Only You Know: Multiplicity, Meaning, & The Metaphorical Bridge, Matthew Haggett

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis report will serve as a companion for the body of work that is the bulk of the thesis project. The theme of the thesis project is "the bridge". "The bridge" is a metaphor for meaning occurring through context. It is present on many levels. It will implicit in much of the discussion. I will include themes such as the play of differing scales, the ambiguous line between part and whole, and the reasons for the book format . Specific imagery that occurs repeatedly in the work, like architecture and knots, will be explained in terms of its sources, …

Connected Painted Rectangles Experiments In Quantitative Shape And Contrasting Elements, Ann Shiogi

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis consisted of a series of paintings in which the canvases were individually painted in a predetermined way, then arranged and assembled more spontaneously in a final wall construction. Narrow limitations, such as working with only horizontal and vertical compositions and contrasting colors were specified. By working within a method or procedure, and by remaining strict to these guidelines, the ideas inherent in the paintings emerged and were then promoted.

The dominant ideas that developed out of the process of making the paintings were the use of both "found" shapes--found in leftover lengths of support material--and "found" means of …

Painter's Wilderness, Eddie Peters

Dissertations and Theses

Painter's Wilderness is a transition between painting strictly from imagination to painting with the use of drawings and sketches to interpret and authenticate an observation. The transition became an exploration of value patterns, compositional shapes and color correspondence in building a technically successful painting while allowing the piece to have its own life.

Narrative Painting, Gina Strecker Wilson

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis is in the form of a commentary on the development of meaning and content within work done for the Department of Art Graduate Program.

Moving Pictures, Melissa Ann Mcclure

Dissertations and Theses

My thesis work includes 10 large drawings that explore the narrative qualities of line movement. I use line in these drawings as a recording device to document both the physical activity of the process and the personal experience that the lines represent. Through this work I attempt to develop a language of visual imagery that is autobiographical in nature. A system of personal symbols and recurring forms make up the structure of this visual vocabulary. Line movement and rhythm provides a sense of the dialog.

Reciprocating Transformations, Joyce A. Bryerton

Dissertations and Theses

The paintings in this thesis project began with a study of various representational images, both personal and symbolic. It included the exploration of assorted media and different styles of execution in a search for imagery to represent the scope of my life experience. This search involved a method of working that excluded preconceived images. The original images evolved into an abstract state which alludes directly to the figurative and organic nature of the earlier work.

An Exploration Of Some Aspects Of Mystery, Terry Foster Thompson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis project consists of twenty-four paintings, drawings and lithographs dealing with three sub-themes of the larger subject of mystery: the mystery of existence; the mystery of religion; the mystery of the unknown. These themes are explored through manipulations of light, color, compositional arrangement and painting and drawing techniques.

Snake River : A Personal Search, Eva Havas Slinker

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis includes twenty landscape paintings, primarily oil on canvas, inspired by a trip to the Hell's Canyon Country of the Snake River.

The search for a personal idiom necessitated introspection, and the visual interpretation of the recalled experience required that formal issues of painting be synthesized to communicate the essential response to the landscape. The images progress from the depiction of deep space to compositions of the component parts of the landscape: trees, water, and rock.

Enhanced Realism In The Development Of My Painting, Zifen Qian

Dissertations and Theses

It is a basic truth that the artist must have independent experience and personality in order to create art from life. Combining a traditional realistic style with some elements of abstract composition fits my personality. My paintings represent a pursuit of this idea that is the enhanced realism in the development of my painting.

Some Visual Issues Of Painting : An Exploration Of The Painting Process, Barbara Leedy Branham

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Art: Painting.

Things Seen And Remembered, Charlien Dee Fitzpatrick

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis project consists of twenty oil paintings and watercolors. It is a series of visual problems based on work from direct observation as opposed to work from imagination. The concern is to show how the works from observed nature affect the imaginary pieces and how the imaginary works lend unexpected elements to the observed works. With a particular interest in color, visual energy, and painterly form, the project shows how these two avenues of exploration start out separately and eventually blend.

Boudica: An Illustrated Narrative, Robin A. Ator

Dissertations and Theses

I study painting and composition for its own sake, and in this program I am pursuing it from a narrative or pictorial stance, much as did earlier artists, and doing so in contemporary terms. Distinguished examples of illustrators could include such artists as Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Rubens, and modern practitioners such as Wyeth and Baskin.

The illustrator needs not only control of his means, but also other qualities in addition to those of a studio painter. He needs an imagination that will allow portrayal of scenes and viewpoints that can't be arranged in a studio. The artist's memory and …

Transparent Landscape, Elizabeth Harris

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is for a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and features the work of Elizabeth Harris.

Photo-Realist Portraiture, Elaine R. Fleskes

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

A Harmony Of Opposites, Patricia Reppenhagen

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is for a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and feature the work and words of Patricia Reppenhagen.

Image Development Through Process, Jean Handwerk Lee

Dissertations and Theses

A Thesis Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Images From The Horse Heavens, David Thornock

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is for a Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Toward Improvisation, Sandra Janeen Howe

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Integration, Judy Lee Vogland

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Paintings And Drawings, Anita M. Jones

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Layered Field Painting, Margaret Shirley

Dissertations and Theses

A terminal project report featuring the work of Margaret Shirley submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts.

Passage, Randal Sumner

Dissertations and Theses

The work in my terminal project exhibition reflects ideas that have been constant in my previous to my two-year M.F.A. studio experience. My last two years have been spent developing these ideas, as well as discarding and exploring others.

I have grouped my work by medium rather than by specific pieces. I find it impossible to consider a single work out of context of the larger series. Evan an unsuccessful work has its place illuminating the direction of the entire production. I have tried to use drawing, lithography, and painting with a concern for thier intrinsic properties. All the work …

Sightings, Kenneth Butler

Dissertations and Theses

A thesis featuring the work of Kenneth Butler submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

Visual Notes, Fragments And Allusions: Drawing And Painting Thesis, Barbara Black

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis discusses drawings and paintings completed during the period of study from October, 1975 to April, 1977 and presented at the Department of Art and Architecture Gallery April 21, 1977 to May 13, 1977.

Figurative Painting And It's Reverberation In Pairs, Carol Crampton Adams

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis discusses twelve paintings completed during the period of study from October of 1974 to November of 1976 and presented at the Art and Architecture Gallery, November 8, 1976 - November 26, 1976.