<p> This thesis analyzes <i>Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Details of the Alhambra</i> (1836-1842) by British Architect Owen Jones in relation to British conceptions of Spain in the nineteenth century. Although modern scholars often view Jones&rsquo;s work as an accurate visual account of the Alhambra, I argue that his work is not only interested in accuracy, but it is also a re-presentation of the fourteen-century monument based on Jones&rsquo;s ideologies and creative faculties. Instead of viewing the Alhambra through a culturally sensitive, historical lens, Jones treated it as an Imaginary Geography, as Edward Said called it, through which he could promote his interests and perspectives. </p><p> Although there were many British views of Spain in nineteenth-century, this thesis will focus on two sets of seemingly contradictory conceptions of Spain that were especially important to Jones&rsquo;s visual and ideological program in <i>Alhambra</i>: Spain&rsquo;s status as both the Catholic and Islamic Other, and its frequent interpretations through both romantic and reform-oriented lenses. Through a closer look at <i>Arabian Antiquities of Spain</i> by James Cavanah Murphy and the illustrations from <i> The Tourist in Spain: Granada</i> by David Roberts, I show the prevalence of these mindsets in nineteenth-century reconstructions of the Alhambra. Then, I compare portions of these works to plates from Jones&rsquo;s <i>Alhambra </i> to illustrate Jones&rsquo;s similar adaptation of these perspectives despite the visual peculiarity of his work as a whole.</p>

This study examines caste paintings, an art form unique to eighteenth century colonial Mexico. Hundreds of caste paintings were produced, following a compositional template that remained fairly uniform throughout the century. The distinguishing characteristic of these images is their depiction and labeling of Mexico's racially mixed population. A broad discussion of the caste genre places these works in the context of hierarchical colonial society. Focus is on select images by prominent Mexican artist Miguel Cabrera, and the changes Cabrera brings to the caste template. This study places particular emphasis on the women of Cabrera's first two caste paintings, using examples from portraiture and other art forms for contrast. The noble cacique Indian woman of the first image is used as a way to highlight and explore representation of the European and Indian cultures that comprised the major dichotomy of New Spain's social organization.

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<p> For more than fifty years, the <i>Meditationes Vitae Christi (MVC) </i> and the most famous of its illustrated manuscripts (Paris, Biblioth&egrave;que nationale, Ms. ital. 115) have been employed by scholars to exemplify late medieval female spirituality. The mid-fourteenth century ilhuminated manuscript of the <i>Meditationes</i> in the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame that is the subject of this dissertation provides valuable evidence of the popularity of the famous text originally written for a woman religious and its appropriation by urban laity. As an example of the shorter text, in Italian, with 43 chapters plus prologue, its 48 large colored miniatures and the decorated initials that begin each chapter, point to a wealthy patron quite unlike the Poor Clare to whom the <i>MVC</i> text was initially directed. The style of the miniatures indicates that the manuscript was illuminated ca. 1350 in Bologna, site of the pre-eminent European university for the study of law.</p><p> The dissertation explores how the <i>Meditationes Vitae Christi </i> was adapted for an educated and prosperous husband and wife. While written in the vernacular, the Snite <i>MVC</i> illuminations bear a strong resemblance to the illustrations in fourteenth-century Bolognese legal manuscripts. Despite the vivid and often unconventional imagery of the text that is designed to stimulate the reader's affective response to its re-telling of the story of the life of Christ, the miniatures tend to preserve traditional iconographies. The superficially conventional Snite miniatures, which often seem indifferent to the visual specifics of the text, serve to align it with orthodox doctrine and underscore the veracity of its contents. </p><p> An analysis of the illuminations of the Snite <i>MVC</i> reveals a particular attentiveness by the illuminator to the representation of male exemplars that would appeal to an elite educated patron, who might have been a judge or lawyer, or law professor. The Infancy miniatures in particular depict St. Joseph in a prominent role and dressed as a late medieval professional man The dignified representation of St. Joseph is consistent with his scriptural appellation as a "just man " By attending to the themes of justice and wisdom in both the <i>MVC</i> text and in its scriptural sources, the Snite miniatures prove to be much richer in meaning than first glance would suggest, and their affinity with legal manuscript illumination hardly accidental.</p><p> The iconographic analysis of the Snite miniatures is complemented by the study of the social and intellectual context in which the manuscript was produced. Despite the seeming simplicity of the miniatures, the illuminator and his advisor prove to be theologically sophisticated and scripturally literate. By means of the illuminations, the <i>MVC</i> is made compatible with the religious and professional concerns of the elite laity, providing access for men wielding worldly authority into the life of Christ in which powerful and learned men play largely negative roles. The Snite manuscript responds to the lay patron's desire to see in the example of Christ and the events of his life confirmation of late medieval social, juridical, and political structures. In its miniatures, it provides saintly models for the educated laity desirous of reconciling their Christian commitments with the demands of an active, urban, professional life.</p>

<p> This dissertation utilized a Delphi methodology in discovery of the perceived outcomes and teaching strategies that are common for art history survey courses taught at higher education institutions throughout the United States. A group of art history faculty, chairs, and current researchers focused on studying teaching and learning within art history weighed in on their perspectives through three mixed method survey rounds, ranking the importance of various themes developed through the responses. The results discover that there is still a strong preference for a Socratic seminar teaching strategy, while the participants also highlighted other outcomes and strategies that are important areas for future research in the discipline.</p>

The aim of this study is to explore the process that shaped the identity of peripheral art museums in Israel during decade the 1990s. This process is examined though the eyes of the curators who artistically guided and directed two of these museums, the Janco Dada Museum in Ein Hod and the Ein Harod Museum of Art at Kibbutz Ein Harod. Both museums are non-profit organizations and this study is the first to seek to understand the identity of these two small but significant art museums located in villages in the north of Israel. The research examines the meaning of the identity of the museums by drawing upon theories of museology, centre and periphery, personal and group identity and organization identity. This research is based on knowledge that is personal, unique and subjective. It is conducted using an inductive approach towards gathering, analysing and interpreting data. The research utilizes a case study approach in order to provide an explanation for the cultural organization of the museum and for the attitude of the curators. This is documentary research that is based on only one source, the museum's archives which are examined according to multi- method procedures for gathering data. The evidence showed that in both cases the process of constructing the identity of the art museums links the personal views as well as the professional aims of the curators and their activities. These activities link the identity of the art museum to the natural setting. In addition, these activities, in both cases, link the identity of the museum to the relationship of the centre and periphery. In addition, both curators wished to differentiate their museum from the centre. In the research process new links were created between diverse scientific disciplines such as museology and social science and theories derived from different fields such as art history, sociology, and centre and periphery studies. These links, contribute new insights into our understanding of museology.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka förhållandet mellan den svenska hembygdsrörelsen och länsmuseerna, för att ta reda på om det finns ett fungerande samarbete mellan dem, vad samarbetet innefattar, hur attityderna gentemot samarbete är och om länsmuseerna har något formellt ansvar för att bedriva samarbete med hembygdsrörelsen. Studien har genomförts huvudsakligen genom litteraturstudier samt två enkätundersökningar och presenterar resultat för varje län i Sverige. De genomförda undersökningarna har visat på att det i varje län generellt finns välfungerande samarbeten av någon omfattning mellan de båda parterna. Samarbetena kretsar kring ett antal olika områden såsom vanligtvis rådgivning, kursverksamhet, projekt, administration med mera. Attityderna till samarbete uppfattas från båda parter generellt vara goda, de anser att de kan komplettera varandra och gemensamt kan dra nytta av välfungerande samarbeten. Länsmuseerna har inget formellt ansvar för att samverka med hembygdsrörelsen men det finns ett antal dokument som uttrycker att samarbete är önskvärt och bör eftersträvas.

Contemporary pilgrimage activities associated with the Volto Santo may be traced to the origins of the cult, which, as I argue in this dissertation, was established in the late eleventh century. I propose this new date of the cult's establishment, as well as its development and promotion in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, based on research in the areas of Lucca's political, religious, and economic histories, as well as other Lucchese relic cults, the hagiographic and iconographic traditions associated with the Volto Santo, other competing relic cults in Tuscany, and the impact of Lucca's textile industry. This dissertation provides the first substantial contribution to the art historical contextualization of Il Volto Santo during the latter Middle Ages by investigating the intricate relationships between the religious, political, and economic affairs involving the Volto Santo during the late eleventh through thirteenth centuries. In addition, it complements the growing scholarship dedicated to pilgrimage studies associated with the Via Francigena. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / October 29, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references. / Paula L. Gerson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Irene Zanini-Cordi, University Representative; Lynn Jones, Committee Member; Stephanie Leitch, Committee Member.