Issued also as the author's thesis, Greifswald, 1932. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-[187]).

Issued also as the author's thesis, Greifswald, 1932. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-[187]).

This thesis aims to take a small body of folk art material and place it in its broadest social, economic and cultural context. The items on which this discussion is based are the domestic folk textiles of Crete. This material was chosen for several reasons; Crete has always been a cross-roads in the Mediterranean and as a result of its varied history it is likely to show clearly any influence which historical and social background may have on folk art. The thesis begins with a discussion of folk art in general and Greek folk art in particular. It is suggested that folk art is above all the product of the environment in which it was produced and that it is made in essentially traditionalr ural societiesb y thoseb y whom it will be used. This theory is then applied over five chapters to Cretan folk textiles, beginning by taking the objects in their broadest possible context and homing in on the more specific aspects of their function and use. First the varied history of Crete is examined and it is deduced that the foreign governors of Crete during the Modem period exercised considerable control over the native population, their influence permeating throughout society. The origin of the raw materials involved in the production of textiles is then examined with special reference to the availability and movement of the materials concerned. They are found to come predominantly from very close to their site of use. The textiles are examined as artefacts in their own right and found to serve practical, decorative and social functions. In the last case they appear in large quantities as dowry goods and as such are capable of representing skill, wealth and status. Finally, the techniques and designs on both weavings and embroideries are examined. The result is a combination of native and foreign devices, together with many of those features which are found on folk art all over the World. In this way it is argued that folk art is reflection of its environment in its broadest sense and to remove such artefacts from their context is to risk misunderstanding their character, function and appearance.

In this thesis I critically analyze the ways in which the work of Nova Scotian artist Maud Lewis circulates within the categories of “fine art” and “Folk art” by examining three documentary films that deal with her life and work. My aim is to draw attention to Lewis’s current status in Canada as an artistic genius –an individual of seemingly exceptional talent who is also a Folk artist – that is, paradoxically, a “Folk artist-genius.” As vehicles through which to explore the construction of Maud Lewis and the concept of the Folk artist-genius I examine three films about Maud Lewis produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the National Film Board (NFB): The Once-Upon-A-Time World of Maud Lewis (CBC, 1965), Maud Lewis: A World Without Shadows (NFB, 1976) and The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis (NFB, 1998). Lewis exemplifies the qualities identified with the Folk, including geographic isolation, rusticity, simplicity, closeness to nature, industriousness and innocence. Yet, while she is thoroughly imbued with Folkishness, she is simultaneously viewed as the artist-genius, an individualized and mythologized character of sublime talent. Her originality, prodigy, virtuosity and spirituality are hailed as indicative of her genius, in the expression of which she is perceived to have overcome ordinary relations to the material world – social seclusion, physical disability and poverty. This thesis explores the paradoxical conflation of the concepts of the “Folk” and the “artist-genius” in the figure of Lewis, an under-analyzed yet superlative example of this phenomenon. Lewis, as Folk artist-genius, navigates between these two domains; she possesses the qualities of the traditional artistic “master,” but remains representative of the quintessential Folk, at once transcending and “typical” of the rustic Nova Scotian people. This is a seemingly impossible position to occupy; by the very definition of “Folk,” the concept of a “Folk artist-genius” should not exist, yet cultural institutions and agents unproblematically hail Lewis as such. / Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-27 11:52:16.512

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 6, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes special report study entitled: Pedestrian, time and space. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes special report study entitled : Pedestrian, time and space. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

No description available.

Honors project (B.A.) -- Carson-Newman College, 2009. / Project advisor: Dr. Maria Clark. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-37).

Thesis (doctoral)--Lunds universitet, 1990.--Additional page with thesis statement inserted. / Cover title. Includes indexes. Includes bibliographical references (p. 284-288).