Scholarship & Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/1
Browse
9 results
Search Results
Item Microcosmic reveries: Narcissa Thorne's miniature period rooms(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Murdy, Kaitlin Rose; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: T. Lawrence LarkinNarcissa Thorne's Miniature Period Rooms and miniatures as an object are overlooked within Art History. Miniatures should hold a place within the history of Decorative Arts due to the nature of the original intentions of their creation and display in Western civilization and design. Beyond misconceptions of historical predecessors, miniatures explore a psychoanalytic relationship to the microcosm and displacement of desire within creators, collectors, and viewers of this unique form of decorative art. Previous research on the study of the Thorne Miniature Period rooms and related subjects is sparse to non-existent. Particularly with the subject being relegated to that of an effeminate hobby, rather than a legitimate and complex artform that presents a mode for unique self-expression and opportunities form education and validation. In researching this subject I rely on methods of psychoanalysis and the writings of Susan Stewart, a literary philosopher who speaks extensively on scale and the psyche of the human mind. This is explored after an in-depth histography of miniature forms and understanding of the ideation and fabrication that went into the production of the Thorne Miniature Period Rooms. Contrary to what is often assumed of miniatures as simply toys, in fact the object has been primarily witnessed in largely adult, feminine social spheres. Narcissa Thorne participated in a form of self-expression of her potential desires for control, suspension of time, intellectual exploration and validation by her contemporaries. A form of self-expression that has continued today and has only grown in popularity of viewers, collectors, and creators.Item Second skin(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2019) Burchill, Victoria Leigh; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bryan S. PetersenIt is common for women to evaluate and compare herself with another woman. In a society that promotes individuality and instills an importance of appearance, judgement and comparison of one's visual identity can be a barrier in cultivating friendship and building community. A hostile attitude is often the response to an encounter with an intimidating woman, rather than connecting with her because she is admirable. Awareness of said behavior is essential in shifting the negative attitude, and the practice of charisma can be guiding in one's personal growth of mindset. A rope can symbolize the attitude between two women: they can either tug the rope and engage in a battle, or they can use the rope as a connection to pull each other together and be allies.Item Detecting ambient pressure(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2017) Clinthorne, Alexander Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Josh DeWeeseThis thesis is a reflection on an experience that I had in a bathtub in 2013 and the following four years of self-introspective research into how my brain works. The left-brain interpreter portion of the human brain relates experience to the conscious mind through storytelling. Stories play an integral role in understanding how to navigate our world. The brain's self-censoring executive functioning operates on the stories we tell ourselves. Metacognitive awareness can result in the mind releasing from storytelling to find a place between stories. This experience is familiar to all of us who have come out of a movie theater to find ourselves caught between the story of an engaging movie and the story of our own lives. I call these experiences between stories epistory intervals. Epistory intervals can be rejuvenating breaks from the authority of thought. Installation art is an adaptable platform that can allow for the exploration of a variety of mental states because of its exploratory nature, self-reflective capacity and lens of inquiry.Item Factors that influence the artist and his work(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Urdahl, Marlowe S.Item Romantic daydreams : visions of a new relationship with the natural world(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1986) Faude, Richard PaulThe paintings in my thesis exhibition are based on memories, stories I have heard, and daydreams about the lake I grew up beside, and other bodies of water I have lived near. There are two sides to the paintings: their personal meaning to me and their meaning to other people who see them. This thesis addresses both sides of the paintings in four parts: a discussion of the psychology of the paintings, my relationship to the natural world, the socio-political relevance of the paintings, and the specific symbolism of the images in the paintings. The slides of the paintings in my thesis exhibition illustrate the final form and development of my art at Montana State University, that embodies the principles outlined in this thesis.Item Victims of circumstance, victims of ourselves(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1981) Toland, Deborah GroomeI am trying to represent a feeling or psychological state; the situation and figures in.my work are often used as metaphors. The drama becomes a symbolic representation of an emotion or inner condition. There is an exaggerated sense of drama or melodrama throughout the work, which increases the potency of the scene and promotes self- consciousness in the viewer. In creating scenes where the figures look out at the viewer, it is my intent that the viewer becomes aware of his own observation,. Many scenes depict fragments of an implied narrative creating a mystery open to the viewer's interpretation. The use of light and shadow support the melodrama and increase the level of fantasy and mystery. Each isolated scene, beyond describing a condition, asks> the viewer for his involvement in the drama, while making him self-conscious in the process. My work is often satirical. This satire co-exists with an empathy for the situations created.Item The emotional symbology of natural objects(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1985) Longobardi, Pamela D.Item Psychological spaces(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2000) Ahlert, Dawn M.The language of alchemy can be used in describing my images. Alchemy has a condensed system of symbols common to dreams, poetry, and the visual arts. Psychologists such as C.G. Jung have found a connection between dream images and alchemy. In medieval times, practitioners of alchemy believed that they might be able to transform the base metals into precious metals through technique and imagination. Philosophically, this system was inspired by the hope of solving one of the mysteries of life; the relationship between good and evil and how the base aspects of life are transformed into the noble. The 1500 years in which alchemy was practiced led to an elaborate list of metaphors. The three worlds in which one can exist in alchemy consist of the black nigredo, the white albedo, and the red riibedo. These states are symbolic for our psychological and spiritual experience. We can relate each alchemical image to our own experiences, both inward and outward. In this common psychological ground, whether in dream or in imagination, we might also find insights that challenge or amplify our inner experience or understanding. The world of the nigredo is of particular interest to me. This is where my images exist. According to the standards of alchemy, the initial phase of every process begins here in the black world where transformation can take place. However, before a form can change, it must first rot, decay, and be reduced to the rubble of disconnected parts in which the creative power can be released and freed. The individualization process takes place in the nigredo, for in the dark of the soul we confront the shadow within. One must completely experience this state in order to move to the next level of the albedo,'the world of reflections and then on to the rvbedo, the world of light, where full realization occurs. . . . The process that I enlist to create my paintings is used to enhance the viewer’s understanding of the nigredo. The aggressive marks and scrapes help to illustrate feelings of control that an individual wishes in their life. The splatters and drips show the contradictory feeling of loss of power, qualities of the black world. The limited palette, especially the ‘black and blue’ brings to mind the sensations of being bruised, depressed, helpless, and isolated in a colorless world of darkness. The ‘blue transit’ is symbolic of the movement towards'the albedo. Blue is between black and white and the nigredo and the albedo.Item Post modern anti-reductionism(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1978) De Meij, Diana BuckleyI believe that the particular forms art takes are the products of individual sensibilities in various times and places. I do not believe that art progresses, only that it changes. Consequently, I don't concern myself with any ideas about what I should be doing, but only with making something that will excite me and give me pleasure, feeling that if I can keep the thing alive for myself, the work will both find and deserve a larger audience. I do this by expanding the painting's significance through purposeful ambiguity, making references to subjects people care about (people, places, sex, objects, etc.), overloading content to confuse preconceptions, by using art historical techniques and themes, and occasional borrowing from the masters and conventions from the past and present. Finally, I seek to reconcile both form and content in an aesthetically 'complete' but slightly absurd way. ThusIy, the psychological tension is set up. My work is my work. It contains no moral lessons nor is it the expression of a specific artistic creed. I do not try to be either tasteful or tasteless, but rather attempt to make art that alters existence, however slightly, instead of being an already overly familiar and redundant backdrop to it.