Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Attis embodied: androgyny and the 'debased' divine in a second century statue from Ostia's sanctuary of Magna Mater(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2022) Edwards, Ash Aurora; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Regina GeeThe unique physicality of the Reclining Attis had the potential to mark him as debased to a normative, elite Roman audience but for cult members or followers of Magna Mater it was necessary for the depiction of Attis as a god. The purpose of this paper is to interrogate and analyze the representation of the body of the Reclining Attis, dedicated by C. Cartilius Euplus to the Sanctuary of Magna Mater in Ostia, by comparison with other figure types in Roman statuary and in conjunction with the Roman literary tradition, in order to understand the defining of embodied identity for the divine Attis within this second century sculpture. Within the body of the Reclining Attis we can see a blending of masculine and feminine signs, associations with fertility, vegetation, and natural cycles, and an emphasis on the beautiful foreign body. These signs within the body can be read as an embodiment of Attis's divinity as third gender, as a vegetal deity, and as a repository for cultural dualities. Missing from current scholarship on the cult of Attis and Magna Mater is a concentrated, art historical reading of the figure of Attis. The use of the cult objects left behind, not merely as illustrations for the presence of the cult, but as significant pieces of evidence for what the cult believed about itself and its gods, and what it wanted to communicate to others. Representations, particularly representations of the body, are embedded with meaning within their cultural contexts, even bodies as unusual as that of Attis. Close analysis of representations of Attis, then, may help to inform more fully the continually developing conversation surrounding the figure and his meanings. This thesis has added to the ongoing scholarly discussion regarding Attis in Rome and has also begun to fill in the gap of art historical analysis in his study and can serve as a model for further interpretations of the Attis body as a representation of embodied, divine identity.Item The wild hunt for Norway: Peter Nicolai Arbo and artistic hybridity in the nineteenth century(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2018) Huvaere, Dani Kathleen Barrett; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Todd LarkinNorwegian artist and historian Peter Nicolai Arbo created Asgardsreien or The Wild Hunt of Odin in 1872, while on a sabbatical in Paris, France, under the influence of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Before his travel to Paris, Arbo attended the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf, Germany, which proved to be an influential presence in his artwork. The Wild Hunt is not only a painting of the mythological story, but a metaphor for a hunt for national representation of his home country of Norway in the late nineteenth-century. The histories, pedagogies, and artistic trends emanating from these institutions will be detailed, which will reveal continental European tastes in art, established and progressive forms of education, and sets the stage for how Arbo's artwork changed and developed during the course of his education and travel. Although his themes never changed, his composition, color palate, and hardness of line changed in accordance to the styles he was exposed to in Dusseldorf and Paris. Asgardsreien was an attempt at creating a national identity for Norway, which was during a period of rising nationalism as Norway was on the verge of gaining its independence from Sweden. Arbo combined his training, observation, and heritage to create his master history painting; the success of this is questionable, according to critics in his contemporary. Asgardsreien stands as a hybrid between earlier genres of painting and realism, and is an example of a transitional work of art in an era of rapid modernism.Item The myth of the heroic American farmer in contemporary food documentaries(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Kuxhausen, Brett Jacob; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo LipfertDocumentary has been a key catalyst in the modern 21st century food movement as a driver for change and awareness towards a new gastronomy. These types of films employ a variety of approaches to purport that our current system is flawed; built around industrialization and commodification of sustenance and living things. One universal method these films use to elicit audience reaction is through the use of the heroic cultural memory of farmers. I explore three very different contemporary food documentaries; Food, Inc., King Corn, and The Real Dirt on Farmer John as well as my own film Pork.0, as case studies to reveal how current social activist/issue documentaries represent the farmer by using the agrarian myth as a base, then use novel storytelling devices to show the necessity of change in the food industry. This contributes to the success of these films as effective works in the social issue/activist documentary genre.Item Phantoms on the land : animals, ghost trails, and wilderness in Yellowstone National Park(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Clement, Kerri Keller; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tim LeCain; Catherine Dunlop (co-chair)Yellowstone National Park is a landscape of ghosts, with a plethora of purposefully unmapped trails in the sea of wilderness. These pathways and the associated maps that silence them unveil the lost stories of the manufacturing of a wild Yellowstone. Early Park administrators constructed a distorted cartographic narrative of a wilderness, one safely devoid of Native Americans and teeming with wildlife and geysers, ready for consumption by Euro-Americans. In comparing the contemporary landscape archive with cartographic sources that span early Euro-American fur trappers to the Army period in the Park, this paper traces the construction of Yellowstone wilderness through the emphasis on trails and wilderness landscapes. Ghost trails, present on the land but not depicted on maps, were an attempt by the mapmakers to create and control a uniform wilderness within the confines of Park boundaries. Maps by William Clark, John Dougherty, and Jim Bridger, along with exploration maps by W.W. de Lacy, administrative maps by P.W. Norris, and road maps by the Army Corps of Engineers, expose trail erasures that solidified a Euro-American wild Park. In revealing these cartographic exorcisms, we gain a better understanding of the formation of the Park and its resulting mythology as a remote wilderness, along with the materialization of power over the region's complex identity. Ghost trails expose traces of human values, notions of territoriality, and power over identity that attests to the complexities of demarcating and constructing Yellowstone National Park as a wilderness area.Item Escaping suburbia : the return to nature and the noble savage(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2014) Maddaus, Ian Frederick; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo LipfertNoble Savage mythology appears in many films that depict Native Americans. In these films a character or characters will represent the wild, natural and savage side of this myth and other characters represent civilized society but also moral corruption. The natural and savage character will clash with members of civilized society and will be threatened or killed. In this paper I will show that the events and characters in some suburban films draw from these same Noble Savage myths and cultural beliefs. I will discuss these tropes in the films E.T. The Extraterrestrial, The Ice Storm, American Beauty, and Ordinary People. In these films the wild and savage side is valorized and the civilized side is denounced. I will show that this mythology has permeated into our cultural beliefs so thoroughly that it appears in films that have little to do with the original cultural, geographical and historical context that first produced this mythology.Item Embrace(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1993) Becker, Julia MargaretThe child says "Tell me a story from your real life." And that is all one can really do. First there was the egg, then the pulse and rhythm. The egg spoke of procreation and fertility. The inside of the egg spoke of generation and synapsis. Drawings made with eyes closed followed closely. Reams of paper unfurled through veils of tears, marked by an unsteady heart searching for light, these blind drawings. Rowers bloomed out of darkness and birth was vulnerability and immense power all at once. At the moment of birth all present understood death, and how we pass through both thresholds and sometimes wait on the edge, holding tight. Prayers followed, prayers for survival, growth, generation. Gold papers cut ever so gently, quietly, each one a specific prayer for a specific child. In the meantime there were angels, fallen angels, earthly angels, guardian angels, oceanic angels. They came with fragile skin, strong wings, and empowering souls. They brought hope from ancestors and strangers and some danced with an awkward grace. The milk flowed and the child opened her mouth to the sky. Momentum caught and the wheel of life began to turn once again.Item Stories(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1996) Morrill, GinaI use imagery and scale that is toylike. This focuses the viewer on the story and invites a special intimacy with the piece. When a viewer pulls the ring articulating a sculpture or laughs at the playful nature of a composition, that viewer is no longer merely an observer. The sculpture “Saint Behind the Glass,” the patron saint of metalsmiths, metalworkers, artisans and craftsmen is a composition expressing my gratitude after three years of study and asking for a blessing as I go forward. Each person who pulls the ring is blessed. Being a metalsmith influences the scale and sense of preciousness in my work. From this training I am accustomed to working small and using select materials. In accenting my work I like to explore the concept of value by mixing materials such as silver and semiprecious stones with objects having sentimental value, i.e. china doll pieces, pet tags or master links from a motorcycle. I use carvings to bring the parts together and make the sculpture whole. Apollinaire called assemblage sculpture a visual poetry, but I feel compelled to add words, to make my visual poem a ballad. The text is used to complement the sculpture rather than explain it.Item Rebirth and regeneration a personal myth(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1989) Rifkowitz, LewisMy work is derived from a personal mythology, focusing on how myth determines human values. Most myths act as social commentary: a type of oral and written tradition which imparts a methodology of making life traditions. My role as artist functions somewhat as commentator and critic. The personal commentary I address ranges from male/female issues to social issues. The sources of information that I use for my work vary; being inspired by nature, and provoked by personal, political, and social actions. What I do is describe a network of relationships among forms; organic, architectural, and figurative, attempting to reveal the connection between form and issue. The work deals with the ideas of life and balance; life on the edge, and life in harmony. Working within this emotionally charged context with the theme of rebirth and regeneration, certain images have emerged. These forms are rooted in my past and project symbolic meaning. Houseforms are indicative of home and homeland, and sticks, stones, eggs, and whirling tops are the basic building blocks of youthful imagination exploring nature. Architectural elements are symbolic of culture, knowledge, and societal concerns. In unison with the figure, these elements make a somewhat cryptic and enigmatic attempt at narrative; creating truths or events that will hopefully transcend their personal revelation into the mystery of my place within the larger world.Item Mythologizing the history of Easter Island through documentary films(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2005) Boyd, Laura Jean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig.Documentaries have the power to rewrite history and perpetuate myths in our society. In the case of Easter Island, documentary filmmakers have sensationalized the history of the Rapa Nui people, dwelling on dramatic concepts such as eco-disaster, cannibalism and mysteriously vanishing cultures. As a result of poor filmmaking, we have a mythologized history of Easter Island. In my attempt to create a science-based documentary about an issue affecting contemporary Easter Island society, this mythologizing of history became a major obstacle. It became apparent that I had to first inform audiences to the fact that they had been misinformed by previous documentaries about Easter Island and I had to change their interpretation of the alleged facts. In my thesis paper I examine the documentaries that created sensational statements about the island and reveal why documentary filmmakers rely on dramatic elements. I also examine my approach to the process of making my graduate thesis film, Caballo Loco on Easter Island, and review the methods I used to ensure the people of Rapa Nui were accurately represented.Item A critique of the environmental savior trope in wildlife film(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2010) Winston, Thomas Pillsbury; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias; Philip A. Savoie (co-chair)Throughout the history of wildlife film, a human character is often central to a narrative that promotes environmental stewardship. Diverse iconic figures in conservation such as Theodore Roosevelt, Jacques Cousteau and Jane Goodall have played starring roles in wildlife films in order to communicate their respective views on conservation. The common narrative of these films represents a reoccurring motif, or trope, in wildlife film that has evolved over time and prominently persists today- the trope of the Environmental Savior. This trope is justifiably condemned in its predominant form in mainstream wildlife film for casting a white westerner as environmental savior in a foreign ecosystem. Critics charge this trope propagates underlying ideologies of racism, neo-imperialism and western superiority. In this essay I will examine the trope of the environmental savior, and more specifically the character within the trope, in order to better understand the overt and implied meanings inherent to this narrative. I will first define the trope of the environmental savior and illustrate its power to persuade an audience. Then I will trace the evolution of the trope's protagonist, from to the white hunter in early wildlife films to the enlightened scientist that persists in contemporary mainstream television. Finally, I will propose forward-looking alternatives for constructing the trope of the environmental savior, based on my experience producing my thesis film, The Mongolian Marmot.