History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons^™

Ap Art History For Marshall Public Schools, Gage Bunting

Theses

Advanced Placement Art History (AP Art History) is a course that, while being one of the less popular AP offerings, exists in thousands of schools already. College Board is the institution that facilitates these courses and sets the requirements each school must follow in order to offer the course. With that said, there is not a rigid requirement that all courses be taught in the same manner, and because of that, the curriculum of this project was adapted to enhance learning for students of Marshall High School.

The art department of Marshall High School has evolved in recent years and …

Gustav Klimt: A Modern Representation Of The Pregnant Female Body, Emma Fanger

Theses

This thesis analyzes Gustav Klimt’s Hope I (1903) and Hope II (1907–1908) to explore how the artist offered a revolutionary and rare representation of pregnancy at the turn of the twentieth century. Klimt, a key figure in the Symbolist and Art Nouveau movements, is recognized for his decorative, allegorical, and emotionally charged style. His portrayal of the pregnant female body challenged traditional artistic conventions. This thesis argues that Hope I and Hope II are significant not only for their modern visual language, but also for their contribution to the limited representation of pregnancy in Western art. In addition to examining …

Three Zafimaniry Carvings From The Southern Highlands Of Madagascar And Their Symbolic Meaning, Emily Krupp

Theses

The Zafimaniry people are a community living in the southern highlands of Madagascar, most known for their geometric, low-relief works of art that they carve onto wooden surfaces throughout their villages. The shapes that make up the designs signify the Zafimaniry people's ideologies, but motifs carved into the homes specifically represent their beliefs about marriage and societal structure. Three metaphorical symbols have been translated within the motifs by the Zafimaniry people as the patriarch, the family, and the community. A comparative cultural study between the motifs on Zafimaniry window shutters and Swahili doorways reveal similarities in material culture, visual elements …

Ai Integration In Cultural Heritage Conservation – Ethical Considerations And The Human Imperative, Kholoud Ghaith

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the conservation of cultural heritage marks a significant transformation in preservation methodologies, heralding both innovative solutions and complex ethical dilemmas. This article undertakes a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role AI plays in the conservation and restoration of cultural artifacts, buildings, and sites, underscoring the irreplaceable value of human skills and ethical judgment in this domain. Through an analysis of current research, case studies, and insights from professionals in the field, the paper elucidates how AI technologies—encompassing machine learning algorithms, digital twinning, and predictive maintenance—can enhance the accuracy and efficiency of conservation efforts. …

Simulacra And Historical Fidelity In Digital Recreation Of Lost Cultural Heritage: Reconstituting Period Materialities For The Period Eye, Trent Olsen, James Hutson, Charles O'Brien, Jeremiah Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

The advancement of digital technologies in art history has opened avenues for reconstructing lost or damaged cultural heritage, a need highlighted by the deteriorated state of many artworks from the 1785 Salon. Grounded in the concept of the “Period Eye” by art historian Michael Baxandall, which emphasizes understanding artworks within their original historical and cultural contexts, this study proposes a subfield focused on Reconstituting Period Materialities for the Period Eye. This methodology bridges comprehensive historical research with generative visual artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, facilitating the creation and immersive virtual reality viewing of artworks. Beyond mere visual replication, the approach aims …

Revealing The Similarities Between Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights And Medieval Musical Forms, Lindsay A. Nevin

Theses

This paper analyzes the triptych entitled The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch painted between 1490 and 1510. This specific piece is Bosch’s most famous and therefore garners the largest amount of discourse analyzing the visual components of it. This specific paper is unique in its approach by using methodology similar to music historians to relate the forms of music popular at this time to the visual elements in the work. Some of the most popular music genres at the time were those of madrigal and polyphonic. An additional element popular in the transition between the 15th and 16th …

Meaning Through Materiality: Bisa Butler’S Expressive Portraits, Jacqueline D’Arco Miller

Theses

This thesis examines how Bisa Butler creates meaning through the materiality in her quilted portraits. Bisa Butler is of West African and American descent and incorporates part of her own identity in her quilted portraits using Dutch wax prints and other highly patterned textiles. Not only does Butler connect her identity in her quilted portraits, but she also connects the meaning of these textiles to the figures in her portraits. This thesis explores the materiality of Bisa Butler’s Colored Entrance (2023), along with The Passion of Questlove (2023) and Grandpa Zakani (2004), to argue that in this new development of …

Artistic Identities In Japan And The United States In The 19th-20th Centuries, Mutsumi Yuki

2024 Student Academic Showcase

This project explores artistic identities in Japan and the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The main foci of this study are motifs and methodologies seen in paintings. In the 1800s, both countries transitioned to open their gates to the world, which greatly influenced their respective artistic cultures. Around this time, Japan continued to preserve its traditional techniques while actively adopting and trading styles and artifacts internationally. Meanwhile, in the United States, American realism and landscape paintings were established and advanced by paying homage to the natural environment of the country. My comparative study aims to deepen our …

Catherine Opie And Sally Mann’S Exploration Of Motherhood And The Domestic Sphere, Krista Rose Frohling

Theses

This paper analyzes the work of Catherine Opie and Sally Mann, white, contemporary artist mothers. Using the narrative and auto-ethnographic research methodologies and applying feminist theory, queer theory, and mother studies, this paper will investigate how contemporary photography is confronted with the work of artist mothers that utilize their mothering roles and status of mothers as a muse into their photographic work. The concept of truth in photography is explored in its role of playing into the visualization of the discomforts of representation within the work of the unseen mother in Sally Mann’s Immediate Family series and dismantling of stereotyped …

Paulus Potter’S Punishment Of A Hunter: A Study In Cultural Shifts, Moderation And Class, Taylor Brown

Theses

This paper proposes a new reading of the painting Punishment of a Hunter (1647-1652) by Dutch painter Paulus Potter through the lens of its unique position in seventeenth-century Dutch art with regards to allegory, human and animal caricature, human nature, class, and the influence of economic growth and complexity of class in Amsterdam. The painting consists of fourteen individual vignettes on one panel of wood. Utilizing socio-economic, political, historical and formal analysis, this thesis proposes a reading of the painting. A total of five chapters, each addressing key themes of the painting, will contribute to my main thesis asserting that …

Future-Proofing The Past: Artificial Intelligence In The Restoration Of Andalusian Architectural Heritage: A Case Study Of The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain, Kholoud Bader Hasan Ghaith

Theses

This thesis explains the contribution of artificial intelligence in heritage restoration as an icon of Andalusian architecture by using the Alhambra as an example. The task of sustaining heritage is increasing dramatically due to the accumulation of heritage assets and the need for modern and innovative operations to cope with preservation tasks. Therefore, this thesis reviews the role of artificial intelligence in improving the restoration operation to improve accuracy and efficiency. I applied the case study as a scientific methodology to explain this work to overcome scientific and subjective obstacles, such as scarce data and software integration while explaining the …

Integrating Art And Ai: Evaluating The Educational Impact Of Ai Tools In Digital Art History Learning, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This study delves into the burgeoning intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and art history education, an area that has been relatively unexplored. The research focuses on how AI art generators impact learning outcomes in art history for both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Ancient Art courses, covering eras from ancient Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzes AI-generated artworks, reflective essays, and survey responses to assess how these generative tools influence students’ comprehension, engagement, and creative interpretation of historical artworks. The study reveals that the use of AI tools in art history not …

Use Of Ai To Recreate And Repatriate Lost, Destroyed Or Stolen Paintings: The 1785 Parisian Salon Case Study, Charles E. O'Brien, James Hutson, Trent Olsen, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates the efficacy of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of artwork restoration, focusing on lost, stolen, or destroyed artworks. Employing a dual approach that combines traditional manual restoration techniques with advanced generative AI tools, the research centers on a case study of the 1785 Parisian Salon. It specifically examines the reconstitution of Antoine François Callet's painting, Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector, unveiled alongside Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii. The study utilizes Easy Diffusion and Stable Diffusion 2.1 technologies for inpainting and colorization processes. These AI tools are employed in concert with manual restoration practices to …

Political Propaganda In The Reredos Of Our Lady Of Light, Owen Keith Medina Loftus

Theses

This master's thesis explores the Reredos of Our Lady of Light, a stone monument situated as the focal point of a former military chapel known as La Castrense in Colonial Santa Fe, New Mexico. Crafted by Bernardo Miera y Pacheco in 1761, the reredos is analyzed as a multifaceted masterpiece that blends religious symbolism with propaganda messaging. Its central location in the capital and meticulous design make it a potent tool employed to shape perceptions, reinforce beliefs, and incite the viewer to take action in support of both the Roman Catholic faith and the ever-growing interests of the king and …

Post-War Restitution In The Republic Of Croatia: Awareness Of The Komza And Reconciliation Of Moveable Property Through Public Sculpture, Anita Govic

Theses

This project is a public sculpture prototype focused on the need for post-war art restitution in the Republic of Croatia: it will have an impact by enhancing public knowledge of the KOMZA list, which offers legal proof for families to retrieve heirlooms taken during WWII and the wars of secession from Yugoslavia.

The sculpture design includes three pillars, two etched with the 1529 names from the KOMZA list and a third that will be progressively built, brick-by-brick, as artworks are restituted. The nature of viewers’ interaction includes access to QR codes that offer links to the KOMZA list, information about …

Shōjo, Kawaii, And Yōkai Iconographies In Chiho Aoshima's Strawberry Fields And How They Relate To Contemporary Gender Dynamics In Japan, Neo Sim Yee

Theses

This paper analyzes the shōjo, kawaii, and yōkai iconographies in Chiho Aoshima’s digital painting Strawberry Fields and examines how they relate to contemporary gender dynamics and anxieties in Japan. The painting bears the artist’s distinctive, characteristic style, which includes elements that are childlike and monstrous, cute and dark. The work, rich in layered context, simultaneously reminisces about the innocence and freedom of adolescence, and critiques the prominent the unequal, rigid, and highly restrictive gender roles dictated by the Japanese patriarchal system. The distinct two halves of Strawberry Fields depict the dichotomous vision of Japanese women—innocent and girly versus defiant and …

The Artistic Narratives Of Faith Ringgold: Depicting Race Relations And Social Justice In 1960s America, Nicole Hill

Theses

This thesis explores the works of artist and activist Faith Ringgold within the context of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. The Civil Rights era was a pivotal moment in American history, marked by racial segregation, violence, and discrimination against Black Americans. Against this backdrop, Ringgold's art emerged as a powerful tool for social critique and political activism. The thesis focuses on five of Ringgold's most significant works: Between Friends, The Civil Rights Triangle, The Flag is Bleeding, US Postage Stamp Commemorating the Advent of Black Power, and Die. These works span the period of the 1960s to …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality Role-Playing In Debating Repatriation Of Artworks In Active Learning Art History Classes, James Hutson, Trent Olsen

Faculty Scholarship

This paper addresses the pressing issue of repatriation debates for artworks, heightened by notable instances like the return of the Benin Bronzes and discussions around the Elgin Marbles. Given the challenges in conducting effective classroom debates on such sensitive topics due to the pandemic, generational shifts in learning preferences, and increased student anxiety, this study identifies a gap in the integration of active learning strategies in a virtual setting. The primary aim of this research is to examine the efficacy of virtual reality role-playing games (VR-RPGs) in enhancing student engagement, immersion, presence, and learning outcomes within a virtual learning environment …

Addendum To Ap Art History Curriculum: Impressionism And Its Female Painters, Julie Short

Theses

This project seeks to add depth to Content Area 4 of the AP Art History Curriculum by supplementing the study of Impressionism as a whole, as well as including the study of the role of women artists in the movement and their contributions to Impressionism and Modern art in general. The goal is to provide students with greater historical context and formal analysis of major Impressionist works, as well as to expose students to the accomplishments of more female artists.

Reconsidering Fertility Imagery In The Murals Of Teotihuacan, Grace T.O. Ray

Theses

This thesis explores fertility imagery in the Tepantitla Paradise and Tetitla Goddess murals of ancient Teotihuacan in Mexico. In the beginning of the 1970s, these murals had been utilized as case studies in the assertion for the existence of a central female deity known as the Great Goddess, based on an abundance of fertility imagery within the scenes. Scholarship in the field has since discredited this theory, but the deity in the murals remains unidentified. In addition, the city does not offer surviving written texts to provide context for cosmological beliefs, only Teotihuacan’s vibrant material culture was left behind after …

The Implications Of Venus In The Interwar Oeuvre Of James Guy, Emily Cooper

Theses

American Social Surrealist James Guy was a Communist proletarian artist who created works of art that depicted the social inequities he witnessed and experienced during the Great Depression. As a working-class artist, Guy painted images of daily life with recognizable and accessible iconography that allowed his fellow manual laborers to relate to the depicted scene. Guy distorted commonplace experiences through the filter of Surrealism to create absurd, illogical, and nightmarish environments to critique contemporary society. Guy worked to spark the realization of the viewer that they were subjected to the same injustices as the figures in his paintings. In this …

The “Trans-Historical Community Of Women” And The Paintings Of Artemisia Gentileschi, Grace T. O. Ray

The Confluence

Though the term feminism did not yet exist, Artemisia Gentileschi’s embrace of the vital force of feminine strength is a distinctive component to her paintings. The woman painter’s life and art were affected by her sex, in a time when women were not only considered property but had to deal with the repercussions of an oppressive patriarchal society. From her youth onwards, Gentileschi witnessed women unjustly convicted and punished for crimes that had men committed, the law would have allowed them to walk free. Sadly, Artemisia was later privy to the misogynistic laws herself with the famous rape trial. It …

Finding The Circle In The Square: A Neoplatonic Interpretation Of Kazimir Malevich’S Black Square, Matthew Madison Rowe

Theses

This thesis explores the influence of Silver Age philosophers Vladimir Soloviev, Sergei Bulgakov, and Pavel Florensky on Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square. Malevich was among the first to apply Silver Age philosophy to abstract art, fully rejecting all objective representation in art. The thesis argues that Malevich’s Suprematism was the result of the fundamental antimony of the Russian religious worldview, which understands reality as both immanent and transcendent. This understanding of reality was not unique to Russia but was the result of historic influences, including the Neoplatonic and religious-humanist philosophy that was prevalent in Russian intellectual culture during this period. …

A Critical Analysis Of Jeffrey Gibson’S Because Once You Enter My House, It Becomes Our House, A Queer Counter-Monument, Ryan Pagett

Theses

This thesis discusses Indigenous Queer artist Jeffrey Gibson’s active engagement with his queer identity in his work. Using the five aspects of a counter-monument as defined by Stevens, Franck, and Fazakerley’s Counter-monuments: the anti-monumental and the dialogic; using queer as both a form of identification; and using queer as a verbal strategy, this thesis argues that Gibson’s latest work, Because Once You Enter My House, It Becomes Our House is a “queer counter-monument.” Counter-monumentalism was a movement initially developed in Germany post-World War II in opposition to monumentalism as a system of oppression. Countermonumental work disengages from traditional monuments …

Monet In Bordighera, Valerio Volga

Theses

Claude Monet visited Bordighera, the coastal town on the Italian Riviera, in 1884. This paper argues how, in Bordighera, Monet pursued a more immersive experience with nature than ever before. Monet first visited Bordighera late in 1883 with Renoir; he then went back in 1884 for a second and last trip, this time on his own. He stayed almost three months and painted 38 canvases; this paper focuses on four canvases that help illustrate Monet's depiction of nature and its transition from wide open views to close-up views that convey an immersive experience. Monet began his painting sessions on bristling …

Curio-Stereo: A Vr Application For The Viewing Of Stereograph Cards, Paige Sandheinrich

Theses

This project discusses the historical significance of stereograph cards as a tool for constructing a shared visual culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and the United Kingdom. Stereographs were widely popularized as an entertainment and educational tool, offering an immersive experience for the viewers. The stereoscopic nature of the images allowed the viewers to immerse themselves in a non-physical reality through visual stimulation, creating a haptic involvement that was unique to the medium. The project of creating a VR application to view stereographs is presented as a potential solution to the problem of …

The Impact Of The Male Gaze: Femininity And Female Sexuality In Shunga Prints Of The Edo Period, Meredith Keukelaar

Theses

The Edo period of Japan (1603-1868) was a time of great cultural and economic growth as the country flourished from political stability under the Tokugawa clan’s rule for over two centuries. During this time, many prints, illustrated books, and paintings were created, the most famous of which are known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world.” A popular sub-genre of ukiyo-e were the erotic shunga prints, created by and primarily for men. While most of these prints were heterosexual in nature, there were still several works that depicted homosexual relations. The majority were of male homosexuality, but scenes of …

Michelangelo Buonarroti And Homophobia In The Renaissance, Grace T. O. Ray

The Confluence

Tommaso de’ Cavalieri was a young man with an aristocratic background when he first met famous artist Michelangelo Buonarroti in Rome. Tommaso was known to be an incomparable physical beauty, with intelligence and elegant manners, as well as being a member of one of the most illustrious families of Rome—the Orsini. Some have said this is what drew the artist to Cavalieri from the start. Though not much is known about their encounter, it is confirmed that Cavalieri remained a close and loyal companion to Michelangelo for thirty-two years until the artist’s death in 1564. Furthermore, throughout their years together …

Creating A 1940s Costume: A Historical Investigation, Jennifer Mott

The Confluence

The purpose of this Art History research investigation was to create a costume from the 1940s by immersing myself in a time period when people often made their own clothing. This was done to better understand what it means to have a personal connection to the items I wear. Our experiences as consumers in the twenty-first century are vastly different than those belonging to the people that lived during the mid-twentieth century because almost all of our clothing is purchased from corporations and created by people that we will likely never meet. For this investigative study, I shopped for and …

Investigating Kandinsky's Inspiration From Michelangelo Buonarroti, Asal F. Morvari

Theses

This study aims to analyze Kandinsky's The Last Judgment painting and compare it with Michelangelo's The Last Judgment to show that Michelangelo's work influenced Kandinsky's painting. For this study, the mixed-methods methodology is applied, which refers to an emergent methodology of research that advances the systematic integration or combining of quantitative and qualitative analysis within a single investigation. Mathematical analysis and a review of Kandinsky's books and manuscripts are considered. Image processing analysis is applied using biorthogonal Wavelet analysis and Canny Edge detection, in conjunction with Kandinsky's writings on color theory, to determine whether Kandinsky was inspired by Michelangelo's The …