History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons^™

The Knowing View, Donald Lee Neal

Art & Art History ETDs

Intimate understanding of the nature of a medium is the prerequisite for its use by an artist. Part I is an examination of the medium of photography in the most general terms. Certain affinities become evident which are found to be constant as properties of the medium. The photograph is examined in relation to its function and meaning levels. First the photograph and its physical properties include an image rendered in a continuous tonal scale from black to white. A photograph has the ability to resolve and define minute details and record more varieties of light than the eye can …

Aspects Of Light In Photography, Christopher Seiberling

Art & Art History ETDs

Light is not only a basic condition for photographic process but also a versatile tool for photographic image-making and a metaphorical agent for photographic expression. In a cross-cultural context, there are universal but complex religious interpretations of light phenomena; light has been associated with mystical experience and alchemical process and has been symbolic of enlightenment or salvation. In literature light implies many ideas, e.g. the "colorless all-color of atheism" (Helville) and the "inexplicable" human condition (Beckett). Current attitudes toward light, generated by advances in technology, dominate fading religious concerns.

Among twentieth century photographers, C.H. White and George Seeley used light …

The Arcane Leitmotiv: Inner Vision As Autobiography, Karen Rose Truax

Art & Art History ETDs

This exploration of my photography concerns my own personal vision of women. I begin with a discussion on my autobiographical use of women as the central theme in my imagery. In this section I explore my preconceived approach to photography. A comparison of two of my photographs on the same theme serves to elucidate my concerns. I then explore my use of hand-applied color. This section begins with my first involvement with hand-coloring a black and white photograph. I continue with a discussion on the role hand-applied coloring has played in the history of photography with particular emphasis on Wallace …

Filmmaking, Filmmakers, And Films: The Filmmaker-In-The-Schools Approach, Jon William Hardwick

Art & Art History ETDs

Over the past ten years there has been considerable growth in programs of filmmaking by students and teachers in schools. The purpose of this study was to (1) discuss ideas on the nature of filmmaking, filmmakers, and viewers; (2) provide a philosophy of teaching filmmaking for art education; (3) survey the growth of filmmaking in school curriculum; (4) show the development and operation of the National Endowment for the Arts and Office of Education Filmmaker-in-the-Schools Project; (5) present a detailed analysis and evaluation of the New Mexico Project; and (6) present some findings, conclusions, and recommendations on the teaching of …

Kinesthetic Sculpture, Andy Ray Jork Jr.

Art & Art History ETDs

The subject of my thesis is the attempted explication of the process involved in the conception, design, construction, and display of three pieces of sculpture which were specifically intended to be physically activated by the viewer. The term “kinesthetic” was adopted from an observer’s comment to describe this manipulation activity.

The three pieces of sculpture in the chronological order of their completion are: “Mantel Piece,” “Juvenile Detention Center,” and an untitled companion piece. A complete description of each of these sculptures is provided and photographs of them are included as illustrative figures.

The main problem common to all three of …

The Creative Thought Process In Scientific And Artistic Problem Solving, James Michael Scott

Art & Art History ETDs

Herein is a discussion of creative thinking as it is manifested in scientific and artistic inquiry. Specifically, creativity is treated as a special kind of problem solving and is discussed as a mental process rather than an isolated event. The process consists of three phases: 1) preparation, 2) subconscious work, and 3) evaluation. These three periods are seen as essential characteristics of creative problem solving. The creative process consists of both conscious and unconscious mental activity. Primarily, the conscious work is carried on during the periods of preparation and evaluation, and the unconscious mental functions occur during the period referred …

A Report On The Image Construction And Presentation Processes And Their Implications Within My Work, Kent T. Rush

Art & Art History ETDs

I have recently defined for myself methods of creating and presenting images. These methods became useful to me intuitively. Now, they have become consciously evident to me as procedures to which I can apply my creative efforts. Examination of these processes is an effort to economize and minimize wasted energies. My recent artistic activities have centered around the use of collage and printmaking. My sensitivity to these processes was directed toward inherent qualities which complimented the content of my images. Though I have always used collage, I had considered its use frivolous. I recognize now that it provides me with …

Ironic Vision In Twentieth Century Photography, Nicholas Hill Nixon

Art & Art History ETDs

Increasing recognition of many incongruities in the quality of life has somehow given birth to a growing sensibility of irony as a basic element of seeing, of subtly evaluating, contemporary America. The growth of the sensibility appears to be far from complete, and its accessibility increases along with the rising visibility of the historical, social, moral, political, and aesthetic discrepancies between what we hoped for and what is. The ability of photography to objectively describe and to simultaneously isolate, expose, and fictionalize a subject make it a medium ideally suited to explore these discrepancies. Regardless of a photographer's intent all …

Gold Disks From The Sacred Cenote At Chichen Itza, Yucatán: Stylistic Analysis And Ethnohistorical Interpretation, Merideth Daniel Paxton

Art & Art History ETDs

During 1904-1911, Edward H. Thompson recovered some gold disks which have repousse designs showing military encounters from the Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza. In addition, there have survived numerous carvings and frescoes at the site which depict scenes of armed conflict and surrender. The disks, frescoes, and carvings have been interpreted as events pertaining to the conquest of the Chichen Mayans by invading forces from the Toltec city of Tula in central Mexico. However, in recent years, influences from Mesoamerican sites other than Tula have been recognized in the art style of Chichen, and it is known that Toltec features …

A Report On A Thesis In Painting Entitled "Discussion On Recent Work", Jane Grace Cole

Art & Art History ETDs

The work has been mainly in two media, oil and watercolour. Initially, there was difficulty finding an approach that would treat vegetative themes similarly in either medium. The watercolour paintings had several strong qualities that were not present in the oils. These strengths were the watercolour's great luminosity and dense design of transparent brush strokes, whose rhythmic structure was separate from the pictorial image. Therefore a series of experiments was made in the oil medium, to try and solve the problems of luminosity, transparency and brush stroke pattern which had arisen in the transferring of an idea from watercolour to …

An Analysis Of The Creative Process: From Metal Imagery To Enigmatic Form, Virginia Mae Crompton

Art & Art History ETDs

It is my purpose to create visual imagery of enigmatic, obscure, and mystical content through the development of clarity of form. I attribute the pursuit of three-dimensional form, first to the mysterious and lustrous qualities of metal as a medium of expression (or communication) and secondly, to a personal need to gain insight into the basic structural essence of the visual world. Extensive analysis of both man-made and natural organic form has provided a visual vocabulary from which to work. More importantly such an analysis has led to the discovery that form is not only composed of structure and a …

The Architecture Of Las Vegas, New Mexico, Louise Harris Ivers

Art & Art History ETDs

"The Architecture of Las Vegas, New Mexico" relates historical and social conditions to the consequent construction of buildings. The purpose of this study is to see if the predominant architectural styles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries prevalent in other parts of America also appear in Las Vegas, and to what extent the town was unique in its architectural habits. By comparing the buildings of Las Vegas to those in both eastern and western towns and cities as well as to the designs in the many architectural pattern books published during the period, one finds both similarities and …

Wet Grounds, John Stascak

Art & Art History ETDs

This thesis is dealing with information about trying to extend sculptural possibilities. Sculpture is one of the most flexible areas in art today because it is moving from object ornamentation to situation of the mind. We are eliminating concerns for physical styles and are re-examining our thought process as artists. The thesis also explains two environmental art works which have been completed over the past two years. They are explained in three areas: Primal. Settings, Devices, and Communications.

On My Photographs, Kevin Wrigley

Art & Art History ETDs

The aim of this M.A. thesis is to explain the reasons which led to the creation of a group of photographs which was begun in December, 1973 and continues to the present date. The first section of the thesis is devoted to reforming a theory concerning the creative process which was proposed by Sigmund Freud in 1915. In this section the underlying motivation for the creation of art is briefly discussed in light of modern psychology, existential philosophy, and the theoretical writings of Conrad Fiedler and Herbert Read on the visual arts. The main points which are analyzed are: the …

The Resonant Environment, Frank Joseph Rolla

Art & Art History ETDs

An environment is defined by the energies introduced or naturally occuring in its space, and I intend to show that the energy of sound has the capacity to develop and control space as effectively as any visual element. Sound and environment are described in the opening sections of the paper as are certain ways in which sound may function in a physical manner. These descriptions are further supported by consideration of the components of sound, like vibration, and by presenting various activities of sound I have discovered in my musical devices. These activities are resonant conduction, contact vibration, and sympathetic …

Federal Support For The Visual Arts In The State Of New Mexico: 1933-1943, William Henry Spurlock Ii

Art & Art History ETDs

During the Depression the federal government of the United States launched the most extensive work relief programs in history. Between 1933 and 1943, the New Deal administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt included provisions in its relief plans to employ the nation's needy artists, who were often forgotten in the face of the needs of America's indus­trial and agrarian workers. Four major art programs were initiated during the period and administered in each of the forty-eight states.

The visual legacy of the period comprises hundreds of thousand of easel paintings and fine prints and tens of thousands works of sculpture created …

A Feasibility Study For Apartments, Roger Easley

Architecture and Planning ETDs

This study seeks to provide a method which can be used to obtain the information necessary for the design of apartments within the limitations imposed by prevailing market conditions, financial considerations and investor needs. This is accomplished by presenting first, a method of market analysis designed to determine if a market exists in a given locality and delineating specifics about that market which would affect the design. A method is also developed for translating the market conditions into a form which wold indicate whether or not a proposed apartment project is economically feasible and what its probable value would be …

Maps And Plans Of Cities And Towns In Colonial New Spain, The Floridas, And Louisiana: Selected Documents From The Archivo General De Indias Of Sevilla, FrançOis-Auguste De MontêQuin

Art & Art History ETDs

The Archivo General de Indias of Sevilla houses one of the largest collections of Spanish colonial maps and plans in existence. Those drawings related to process of urbanism and architectural constructions have hardly been touched by investigators. This study presents a body of 130 maps and plans from New Spain, the Floridas, and Louisiana ranging from 1579 to 1813. Drawings were selected from the holdings of the Archivo de Indias which depicted some facet of colonial urbanization. Aside from furnishing general information concerning city and regional planning, urban beautification, and fortification, these maps and plans also reveal, many aspects of …

The Emergence Of Twentieth Century Illusionism, Thomas Alan Goodman

Art & Art History ETDs

Until the nineteenth century, representational illusionism in art remained fundamentally concerned with the problems of achieving a "convincing" likeness of things in nature, that is to say, with achieving the illusion that a painting is a window through which we see the real world. During the nineteenth century, however, the commitment to this notion of painting underwent a series of radical challenges. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the reasons for these challenges and the reasons why "new" illusions for painting were "discovered" in the nineteenth century and a new form of illusionism emerged during the early twentieth …

Manipulation In Photography, Stanley J. Bowman

Art & Art History ETDs

"Manipulation" in photography is the major area of consideration for this paper. Manipulation first appeared in photographic literature with reference to the handling of all photographic materials and processes, and later as a term for variation from the more traditional "straight" process. In this paper the term straight will refer to a more purest approach to the making of a photograph that emphasizes the faithful pictorial recording of that which is seen with the eyes. Manipulation in this context is photography that allows any and all possible variations from this standard. Manipulation also possesses two principal elements: the camera image …

Streamlining: Functionalism In American Product Design, 1927-1939, Donald John Bush

Art & Art History ETDs

Streamlining, a term commonly used to denote methods of increasing efficiency and reducing waste, is identified with the teardrop shape in vehicles and other American product designs of the 1930s. Because streamlining was applied widely and, at times, unwisely, it has been held in low esteem as a design principle. This dissertation attempts to show that streamlining had legitimate beginnings in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, that it was an extension of the functionalism that informed product design in the 1920s and that it provided a useful and optimistic symbol of the future to a nation deep in an economic depression.

The Religious Polychromed Wood Sculpture Of Colonial Quito: Its Origins And Sources, Gabrielle G. Palmer

Art & Art History ETDs

The setting is Quito, Ecuador during the colonial period (1534 - 1809) when it was the capital of the geographical entity of the Audiencia of Quito, and part of the vast overseas Spanish colonial empire. The art of this period was almost exclusively at the service of the Catholic Church. One of its most important manifestations, both from a religious and an esthetic standpoint, was those cult images central to Catholic worship, carved of wood and realistically polychromed, which are still to be found in Quito's many colonial churches and convents. These images provide the subject of the following study, …

The Influence On Contemporary American Crafts, Martha Dawson Newfield

Art & Art History ETDs

All the art forms have undergone much ferment in the Twentieth Century. The ferment can be attributed, at least in part, to many radical changes in the nature of our society, such as, advances in technology and the effects of the mass media. These advances have had a particular effect on contemporary crafts since the crafts have always been intricately tied up with technical process. Often the result has been a basic change in the statement, form, and material of the craftsmen. The changes we see evidenced today in the crafts had their beginnings in the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, men …

The Symbolic Photograph: A Means To Self-Knowledge; A Jungian Approach To The "Photographic Opus", Steven D. Foster

Art & Art History ETDs

This dissertation is primarily a response to a five-year-old question: "Why do you make photographs?" A kind of "answer" was found with the help of Carl Jung, depth psychologist, especially in his psychological interpretation of the medieval symbolic process--the alchemical opus. For Jung, alchemy prepared the ground for his psychology of the unconscious. For me, Jung's inquiry into the "secrets" of the alchemical opus is a workable analogy to what I have termed the "photographic opus." Through this analogy I feel I have shed new light on the creative process from the viewpoint of a photographer who is in search …

Photography Thesis, Andrea West Hecht

Art & Art History ETDs

Crystalline beauty which fades and reappears with each slight turn of the band; frozen faces whose every wrinkle and subtle curve of the lips can be examined; a watch or necklace or lace dress seen with utmost clarity: this is the beauty of daguerreotypes. Long exposure, careful development on a polished surface, and the absence of an intervening negative contribute to the timeless quality of these tiny pictures which awakened the world to a whole new visual medium. Little touching up as done and tinting was used with great gentleness. Composition was direct and simple, perhaps bordering on monotony, but …

Charlotte Buell Coman, American Impressionist, Louise M. Lewis

Art & Art History ETDs

Abstract

In the study of past movements in American art, there has been a trend to discuss more what is distinctly American while not denying European influences. As with other movements, Impressionism in the United States has recently received considerable attention, not so much for its European origins as for its native qualities.

While the late American Impressionists such as Twachtman, Robinson, Weir and Prendergast followed more closely the scientific tenets of the French Impressionists, there were other American Impressjonists who incorporated only the color formulas and compositional formats of the Impressionists. Retaining the poetic mood and brush techniques of …

From Visigothic To Gothic: A Study Of Styles In The Church Of The Divine Saviour; Vejer De La Frontera (Cadiz), Spain, Dolores Coppel Bogard

Art & Art History ETDs

Because all records have been destroyed, a comparative study is necessary in order to date the various building programs which have taken place in the Church of the Divine savior of Vejer de la Frontera. The different styles within the church range from Visigothic to Gothic, and individual discussions of each follow a general historical background of the area. Concomitantly, it is shown that Spanish architecture had a significance and a style of its own much earlier that is normally recognized.

The Visigothic element is confine to a study of four capitals, their column shafts, and their bases found in …

Le ThéAtre PoéTique De ThéOdore De Banville, Christina Candelaria GutiéRrez

Art & Art History ETDs

Theodore de Banville is known to most students of French literature as a Parnassian poet. He was also a dramatic author. With the exception of one or two plays his dramatic work remains relatively unknown. None the less his theatre merits study as an expression of his time in that it does not reflect his time. Banville drew the subjects for his plays from history and from mythology. He remained faithful to the "art for art’s sake" movement in his dramatic work as well as in his poetry. Banville’s plays do not paint French life of his day nor do …

The Work Of Photographers Paul Strand And Edward Weston: With An Emphasis On Their Work In New Mexico, Harold Henry Jones Iii

Art & Art History ETDs

Photographers Paul Strand and Edward Weston each developed a personal vision that extended previous concepts of photography as a medium of personal expression and investigation. This dissertation examines their work from its earliest stages through their later mature personal styles, with an emphasis on their time and work in New Mexico. The paper is terminated at a point immediately following the conclusion of each man’s time in New Mexico.

The Cross-Currents Of Influence In The Backgrounds Of Twelve Chosen American And Japanese Potters: As Related To The Emergence Of A New Ceramic Presence In The Late Fifties, Carl G. Jensen

Art & Art History ETDs

The central theme of this study is the American interpretation, adaptation, and selection of vitalizing influences found in Japanese folk art pottery and the role of these influences as seen in the energizing of an American attitude toward clay as a major creative material during the late fifties .