Preface: An awareness of certain contradictory perceptions and assumptions regarding religious beliefs today and their relevance to art prompted a question which led to the research undertaken in this minithesis. The question was: how significant is the absence or presence of religious beliefs to the modern creative process? The writings of some theologians, sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists seem to indicate that religious beliefs are fundamental to the functioning of society and the individuals who are part of it. Furthermore, even a cursory study of the history of art will demonstrate the strong bond between pre-nineteenth century image making and organised religion. Today, however, this relationship appears uncertain or even non-cxistant. This is a result of processes which began to gain strength in the nineteenth century: these include the industrial revolution, scientism and materialism. Peter Fuller, stated that among the most central questions affecting art is, "the severance of the arts from religious tradition and their existence within an increasingly secular culture." (Fuller, 1990, p. 189). This statement appears to bring the issues together very neatly. Firstly there is the assertion that religion has nourished and been a vital force behind art through the ages, and that, modern art has lost this source of vitality. Secondly, there is the contention tbat society, since the nineteenth century, has become increasingly secular, and that this has had (and is having) a radical effect on modern art. That art has been divorced from religion and that religion is disappearing, or will do so, is the logical conclusion, according to theorists who insist on institutional religion as the only true form. Some artists, for whom the absence or presence or loss of religious beliefs are important issues, may in this situation experience a creative crisis. In order to address these issues it was necessary to investigate whether religious beliefs are important to artistic endeavour and, if so, what the consequences of the absence of beliefs might be. For this reason, research into the nature of religion and the modem religious situation was initiated. The purpose of the extensive discussion on the nature of religion was to establish definitions of, or a view of, religion which could provide a sound basis for this investigation of the issues that have been outlined. In order to demonstrate whether religious beliefs are important to the creative process, Francis Bacon was chosen for discussion because he appeared to be a modern artist who had no religious beliefs and was thus an ideal example by which the consequences of this could be gauged.

Tesis para optar al grado de Doctor en Filosofía con Mención en Filosofía Moral y Política / La presente investigación analiza la obra filosófica de Isaiah Berlin y sostiene que ella puede concebirse como una versión romántico-agonista del liberalismo forjada por una aguda comprensión del pluralismo y sus implicaciones para la filosofía moral y política, en general, y el liberalismo, en particular. En este sentido, se sostiene que es posible develar a la base del tratamiento berliniano del pluralismo una determinada concepción de lo político en clave agonista que reconoce el conflicto y la tragedia como sus dimensiones constitutivas; una concepción que pone en evidencia el carácter contingente y parcial de todo orden social y político, incluyendo el orden liberal. Con ello, se muestra que esta versión pone en cuestión el alcance y realismo de la filosofía política que caracteriza el liberalismo político de John Rawls y la aproximación deliberativa a la democracia de Jürgen Habermas que, impregnadas por el racionalismo y universalismo que caracteriza a esta tradición de cara al problema de la legitimidad, ponen en su centro la reconciliación y el consenso como base para la configuración de una sociedad bien ordenada y libre de conflictos para tratar las cuestiones públicas fundamentales. Así se sostiene, a partir de Berlin, que ellas son incapaces, a causa de sus premisas racionalista, de afrontar adecuadamente el pluralismo y sus implicaciones para dotar a la filosofía política liberal del realismo al que Rawls aspira. Finalmente se sugiere que una orientación hacia la democracia antes que hacia el liberalismo (a pesar de Berlin) podrá ofrecer un espacio adecuado al pluralismo reconociendo la dimensión agonista de lo político que se encuentra a base de la versión romántico-agonista de Isaiah Berlin. / Beca de Doctorado Nacional Folio: 63100107

Bertram Charles Binning's depiction of British Columbia coastal scenes in his drawings and paintings of the mid 1940s to the early 1950s present images of sunlit seascapes in recreational settings; they are scenes of leisure and pleasure. The concern for leisure and pleasure was central to the artist's modernism, even after he began painting in a semi-abstract manner around 1948. In this particular construction of modernism, Binning offered pleasure as an antidote to some of the anxieties he observed in postwar culture. Binning also thought that art could contribute to life in a direct way. In the mid to late 1940s, Vancouver saw a series of artistic community projects which explored the possibility of art as a social force; the Art in Living Group, of which Binning was a member, believed that art could have a therapeutic value in relation to housing projects and community planning. In certain ways, the Art in Living Group was a response to rapid changes in the social matrix of Vancouver. Binning's personal artistic practice, however, appears to have existed outside of what was embraced in his participation in those community projects. His essentially personal, self-authenticating expression in the form of drawings may be seen to resist the idealism of his more 'public' production, that is, his own idealism, his demand for an art thoroughly harmonized with the public sphere. Moreover, in this more personal body of work, his choice of leisurely scenes, rendered in a style reminiscent of Matisse, can be seen as far removed from the urban tensions of the time. It also seems to suggest that the leisure-and-pleasure idealism which finds expression in these works was not only class-and gender- specific, but also antithetical to his strong desire to democratize art. Binning's preoccupation with personal expression took a turn when he shifted his concern from representational drawings to semi-abstract paintings. The shift coincided with his career move to the University of British Columbia as a professor of Art History in 1949. From then on, Binning's interest in regional cosmopolitanism became more pronounced in his work. In this sense, it is significant that Binning looked for guidance to Herbert Read's ideas about modern art and art education. At the same time, his reputation expanded beyond the West Coast. In 1954, Binning was chosen to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale. Binning's particular modernism, as represented by this range of work, all of which presents a pastoral version of Utopia , was in some ways profoundly at odds with the social circumstances of the time. Why was the interest in leisure and pleasure significant to his practice? What did it mean to promote this kind of idealism in the local context? And in what ways did it relate to the international art scene — for example, to the work of Matisse or to contemporary concepts of art? My thesis addresses these questions by situating Binning's work both regionally and internationally. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

This study researched the role of W. A. Criswell as Chancellor of The Criswell College and his involvement in the areas of development, facilities acquisitions, personnel, and academics. This qualitative historical research was taken from Criswell's personal files from 1968 through 2001. W. A. Criswell gave written approval for this review and publication in November 2001. Included in Criswell's files were primary and secondary sources including copies of letters, board meeting minutes, personal notes, catalogs, newspaper articles, sermons, speeches, and other printed forms of communication. All documents pertaining to Criswell's involvement in these four categories were copied and the documents organized in chronological order, by the decade of the 1970s, the 1980s, and 1990s. Primary sources also included personal interviews and telephone interviews with eyewitnesses who were present at the events described, and board meeting minutes. Secondary sources included newspaper articles, magazine articles, national Christian magazines, and journals. Findings were summarized, evaluated and the following research questions answered (1) What was the purpose for establishing a Christian institution of higher education sponsored by First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas? (2) What was the rationale for establishing a Christian institution of higher education in an area where a high density of Christian colleges already existed? (3) What was Chancellor Criswell's vision for a Christian institution of higher education in its infancy? (4) Do alumni survey results in 1999 reflect the vision Criswell had for The Criswell College? (5) How did Chancellor Criswell develop endowment for The Criswell College? (6) What involvement did Chancellor Criswell have in the acquisition of physical facilities for The Criswell College? (7) What influence did Chancellor Criswell have over the curriculum development process in the history of The Criswell College? (8) Were there changes in the gender and diversity make-up of student enrollment at The Criswell College during Criswell's tenure as chancellor? Conclusions were that Criswell significantly influenced the education of the next generation of Christian leaders.

This Diploma Thesis deal with complex assessment of spring flood in 1909. In the theoretical part there are described types of floods. It focuses on rain-on-snow events together with melting of the snow and ice phenomena on streams. It also describe hydraulic models and especially in detail AquaLog model and its individual parts. The flood in 2006 which is compared to the event in 1909 is also described in more detail. In the historical archive there were found informations about flood in 1909 and because of them we know its area range. Next the flooding waves in Czech Republic were analized. The AquaLog model was used for basin of the river Sazava. Flooding waves were simulated for 9 stations in the whole basin using this model.

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