Scholarship & Research
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Item Chathamesque: Russell Chatham's Montana vernacular(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Bishop, Storrs Myron, IV; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Melissa RagainPainter and lithographer Russell Chatham introduced a Tonalist aesthetic to Montana's art scene in the 1970s, making way for a new aesthetic relationship between humans and nature. His work is recognizable by its gray-and-brown palette, horizontally structured compositions, and his signature envelope of atmospheric haze. When Chatham depicted a scene with fog, snowfall or rain obscuring parts of the landscape, he evoked a quiet mood conducive to introspection. People familiar with his work, especially those living in rural Park County, Montana, might look out their window and call the view, "Chathamesque." This term--along with other commonplace statements like, "It's a Russell Chatham kind of day"--became tightly bound to his artistic style and public identity. In contrast to the romanticized mythology of C.M. Russell's Old West, or the sublime grandeur of Thomas Moran's panoramic landscapes, Chatham offered a depiction of the intermountain West as a place for private, transcendental intimacy with nature. This thesis will analyze two series of Chatham's works he created in the 1980s: The Seasons, a series of twelve paintings commissioned by the Museum of the Rockies (MOR) in 1990, and The Missouri Headwaters Suite, twelve lithographs he made between 1985 and 1987. Through three stages of comparative analysis of his paintings and lithographs, this paper will trace Chatham's aesthetic development from conventional California Tonalism toward his transcendental Montana landscapes. The first stage connects Chatham's style to the nineteenth century's California Tonalist movement and its Transcendentalist relationship with nature. The second stage traces his struggle and resolution with interpreting Montana's mountainous landscape. The third stage ties his development as a lithographer to the establishment of his aesthetic vernacular. Each of these stages was another step toward a distinctive style which came to be uniquely identified with Russell Chatham. By the early 1990s, his local audiences had internalized his approach to landscape, and the term "Chathamesque" became a vernacular way of expressing their relationship with Montana's changeable appearance.Item Beyond Afro-Cubism: Aaron Douglas's impressionist landscapes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Coleman, Martin A.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Melissa Ragain and Regina Gee (co-chair)Aaron Douglas often opted for styles, other than his signature afro-cubism, in his personal, private works. Like his more public works, these also served his lifelong socio-political agenda. Art historian, Amy Kirschke opined in 'Aaron Douglas: Art, Race and the Harlem Renaissance' (1994) that the paintings Douglas produced in the last forty years of his life were "less original" and implicitly less political. Through a rigorous analysis of motifs common to Douglas's works, the author argues that Douglas is stylistically agnostic but consistently political, regardless of which style he was using. To understand the political content of his later works, one must understand the significance of locales he depicted, reading of his letters and lectures closely. Douglas was consistent in his use of visual narrative, especially themes of : a proud ancient African past; a recognition of the unequal treatment from white America; African Americans' contribution to modern economic life; and a vision for a more hopeful future assured by Judeo-Christian narratives of escape from bondage. While Douglas most closely associated with his signature afro-cubist style, developed in his illustrations and murals, these were largely commissioned projects. They were also more graphic in nature as opposed to naturalistic. Douglas, throughout his life, and often concurrent with his illustrations and murals, painted impressionist landscapes as well as portraits that were more academic in their rendering. This thesis argues that the fact that this is not recognized by the art historical community owes to the fact that Douglas's private works were not purchased by mainstream museums or shown in major galleries, and they were rarely collected by individuals other than those within his community. Hence, his easel works have not enjoyed the visibility of his murals and illustrations, and therefore were rarely the subject of scholarly analysis, public discussion nor preservation.Item Drift, ascend(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2013) Mongeon, Jessica Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Rollin BeamishI aggregate multiple experiences into large-scale India ink and acrylic paintings on paper, building up calligraphic marks, and large strokes of color to create a visual journey through the veil of time, distance and action. My paintings are based on personal experiences of hiking and backpacking in alpine environments. This thesis examines the influences of history, art, science and culture on an individual's understanding of nature, especially in America. The role of illegible writing is also discussed in relation to my paintings, as well as other artists who have influenced my artwork formally and conceptually. I believe that nature has an intrinsic value that should be celebrated and protected. As viewers begin to understand their emotions and perceptions in relation to nature, perhaps they will discover something new about themselves.