Art History and Theory Bachelor of Science Thesis
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The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Art History and Theory is a four-year professional degree. It is designed to instill an understanding of artistic developments in global historical contexts, to provide students with the critical and theoretical tools necessary for becoming productive professionals, and to prepare them for the pursuit of graduate studies in the field. In accordance with this mission, the program includes substantial studio experience as well as extensive academic learning and research.
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Item Goya's Black Paintings: The Darkness of the World(Alfred University, 2023-05) Williamson, Gabrielle; Edizel, GerarThis thesis analyzes three of Goya's works from the, so-called, Black Painting series: Witches Sabbath, A Pilgrimage to San Isidro, and Pilgrimage to the Fountain of San Isidro. It attempts to explain why Goya included paranormal and religious elements in these works. He made these somewhat gloomy murals in a specific condition of solitude. Goya's life was impacted by the violent events that were occurring around him in Spain and that led him to his retreat into seclusion. In these paintings, Goya seems to pessimistically allude to a dark future generated by superstition, religion, the Inquisition, widespread beliefs about witches and witchcraft, and the horrors Napoleonic Wars.Item Queer Operations on the Digital: A Chronological Analysis of Queer Interactions with Technology(Alfred University, 2023-05) Adams, Ronan; Hansen, JamesThrough the film No No Nooky T.V by Barbara Hammer, the Pixelvision videos by Sadie Benning and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair by Jane Schoenbrun, queer interactions with technology are analyzed. Issues of the origins of technology and their limitations for queer representation are continuously raised by these artists across time. These artists use abstraction, manipulation, and identity creation to interact with the technologies they exist alongside.Item Claude Lorrain's Great Escape: An Exploration into the Human Connection with Landscape Painting(2020-12) Anderson, Hannah R.; Lyons, JenniferMy thesis centers on the idea of the human connection towards landscape paintings by analyzing the seaport and coastal scenes by Baroque landscape painter, Claude Lorrain. Within these bodies of work I focus on ideas of escapism, visual pilgrimage, and virtual reality. My work will explore the questions of what escapism or a visual pilgrimage is, how a person can be drawn into a landscape painting, and whether or not the placement or orientation can impact how we interpret and feel about a work. I draw upon a wide variety of methodologies such as semiotics and psychoanalysis to frame my argument.Item Neither Sacred nor Profane, but Somewhere In Between: Caravaggio's Depictions of Saint John the Baptist in Relation to the Council of Trent(2017-05) Loop, Alexandra; Dimitrova, KateHaving already painted a number of both secular and religious works, there is one subject that Caravaggio would return to throughout the entirety of his short, turbulent career: Saint John the Baptist. Caravaggio painted at least six different versions of John the Baptist. All of the paintings but one are intimate, full-length portrayals of an isolated, scantily clad youth draped in a sumptuous red cloth. This thesis explores how Caravaggio continues the Florentine tradition of depicting Saint John the Baptist as a youth; however, due to Caravaggio’s stylistic use of light and shadow, his emphasis on corporeality, and his rejection of the saint’s traditional iconography, the artist’s depictions of the Baptist were recognized by seventeenth-century viewers as both sacred and profane.Item Reframing Tradition in Modern Japanese Ceramics of the Postwar Period Comparison of a Vase by Hamada Shōji and a Jar by Kitaōji Rosanjin(2017-05) Akiyama, Grant; Childers, Hope MarieFollowing the 1950s, Hamada and Rosanjin were pivotal figures in the discourse of American and Japanese ceramics. In 1954, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) held a solo exhibition for Rosanjin.1 The Japanese government designated Hamada a “Living National Treasure” following his tours to Europe and the United States.2 In addition, Hamada received honorary doctorates in both the United States and England.3 This investigation of Japanese ceramics of the 20th century focuses through two vessels, a vase (fig.1, 20th c.) by Hamada Shōji (1894-1978) and a jar (fig. 2, 1953) by Kitaōji Rosanjin (1883-1959). A comparison of the vase and jar serves as a case study in how and why Hamada and Rosanjin became known as exemplary potters. Rather than exalting Rosanjin and Hamada as exceptional craftsmen of the 20th century, I examine how and why they attained such prestige to reveal a confluence of personal, institutional, and global structures that justified their status in modern ceramic history. Instead of maintaining tradition, Hamada and Rosanjin reinvented traditional Japanese ceramics. This implies that the Japanese characteristics seen in Hamada’s vase and Rosanjin’s jar are a reconfiguration of conventions in the 20th century rather than a conservation of tradition.Item Ken Price & The Egg Series Phenomenal Transgressions in Post-war Ceramics(2017-05) Mustardo, Maxwell Amadeo Kennedy; McInnes, Mary DrachKenneth Martin Price (1935-2012) was a key protagonist in moving ceramics into the avant-garde realm during the 1960s. At this time, Price made his first major contribution to the expanding field of ceramic sculpture with his Egg series. This series represents a significant breakthrough in ceramic sculpture by transgressing the traditions and processes of mid-century ceramics. Post-war ceramic conventions were generally dominated by the craft theories of the folk pottery movement. During the 1950s, Peter Voulkos and others had begun making interventions aimed at broadening ceramic practices, but relied upon the techniques and processes of the very practices they were challenging. Price’s Egg series, which he made while in league with Los Angeles’ revolutionary Ferus Gallery, pushed Voulkos’ explorations of clay beyond the limitations of ceramic traditions and processes. My thesis offers critical and contextual analyses of the Egg series by interrogating its significance to broader trends in American post-war ceramics.Item The Early History of Porcelain and the Significance of Shufu Ware: Science, Culture, and Material-Based Aesthetics(2019-05) Lastrapes, Gregory; Jones, MeghenThe word “porcelain” does not capture the nuance and complexity inherent to the material and the history of high-fired white ceramics in China that began over a millennium ago. In Euroamerica, the contemporary concept of porcelain is often a manifestation of ideas circulated long ago by kings, mystics, pseudo-scientists, and consumers of foreign goods. The variety of influences has resulted in the concept of porcelain as we know it today, a concept whose definition often seems clear in the abstract, but becomes progressively more difficult when investigating the topic in depth. However, the concept of porcelain is important to cultural histories, both local and global, and the term has been employed in scientific, cultural, and artistic contexts across the world for centuries. As a result, the concept of porcelain has been complicated over time. This essay will clear the murky waters enveloping porcelain and bái cí by tracing its earliest history in China, where it was first produced. Returning to the source of the porcelain phenomenon will clearly articulate the history and nature of the material as it was initially produced, which has significant implications for both early European conceptions of porcelain and contemporary perspectives. The first step in this process will be naming the beliefs Euromericans must cast aside in order to reform porcelain histories into a more global one.Item If Collections Could Speak, What Would They Say?(2016) Stoddard, Emily; Jones, MeghenCeramic objects from around the globe develop distinctive patterns and characteristics that are born out of specific sets of cultural values, and serve countless functions ranging from the decorative to the utilitarian, and the ceremonial to the political. The materials and techniques involved in making these objects are as diverse as the regions they originate from, and determine the aesthetic value, style, and desirability of each piece. I have selected and studied ten ceramic objects from the much more extensive collection of artists John and Andrea Gill, American ceramicists and professors at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. The Gill collection includes ceramic works from fellow artists, historical pieces from numerous cultures, student works, and ceramic works by both John and his wife Andrea. The Gills have acquired the objects in their collection throughout their travels and interactions with others working in the field, and the collection harbors influences and inspiration to John's work as an artist, as well as his appreciation for and celebration of the ceramic medium. This research aims to analyze a sliver of the history of global ceramics. I will first reflect on the theoretical aspects of collections and collecting, and then examine a small selection of pre-modern, modern, and contemporary ceramic objects. Finally, I will argue that the roots of the Gill collection include an intangible accumulation of historical references and cultural influences that fuse 3 together to become the backbone of the postmodern aesthetic—a collection in and of itself—that defines John Gill's personal style as an artist.