This thesis has evolved from William Blake's phrase, "Imitation is Criticism" written in the margin of Sir Joshua Reynolds's Discourses on Art. As a concept central to the production and criticism of art, imitation has largely been explored in the philosophical context of aesthetics rather than in terms of its practical application in image-text studies of the Romantic period. It has also traditionally served as a marker for the period designation 'Romantic', which in image-text studies continues to be played out in terms of the transition from imitative to expressive modes of making and response. Yet this notion of periodization has proven problematic in studying the response to 'false criticism' within what Wallace Stevens calls that 'corpus of remarks about painting'. These remarks reveal an important tension within imitation as a way of making something like something else, but also as a means of characterizing the relationships that underpin that resemblance. This tension not only occupies a central place in the concurrent development of art criticism and literary criticism in the period, but also offers a new foundation for the interdisciplinary study of image-text relationships in the period. The thesis is divided into two parts, each guided by the important role that imitation plays in the fight against 'false criticism' with respect to the visual arts. The first part examines the tension within imitation from the standpoint of artists and connoisseurs who expressed concern about the excesses of description in asserting the need for a credible art criticism while at the same time realizing its inevitability. The second part examines the tension within imitation from the standpoint of the American artist Washington Allston and his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, both of whom used this tension to advantage in setting forth a lexicon and methodology that could account not only for the 'specific image' described, but also the geometrical and structural relationships that underpin that image.

Pierre II Mignard naquit en Avignon, terre partagée entre papauté et royauté, dans une famille d’artistes. Il fit d’abord son apprentissage de dessinateur, de copiste et de peintre auprès de son père Nicolas, avant de suivre à Paris son oncle Pierre Mignard (dit le Romain). Ce fut dans la capitale que Pierre II fit évoluer son art pictural et architectural. Il partit dans le sud de la France puis en Italie pour lever les beaux monuments antiques avant de revenir en France. Enrichi de ce qu’il avait vu et fait, il devint, en 1671, membre fondateur et Professeur de l’Académie Royale d’Architecture, l’élevant à un art sans fioriture, avec ses propres codes, des lignes pures, simples et modernes. Après plusieurs années dans la capitale, il repartit dans sa ville natale. En Avignon, il fut un architecte et un peintre très prisé, un ingénieur, cartographe, expert,médiateur passionné par son travail. Dernier artiste de génie, il laissa dans cette ville son empreinte moulée d’un art nouveau. Il fit de son style une référence et de son expérience un art. Il bâtit de riches et magnifiques demeures bourgeoises, encore visibles aujourd’hui. Cette architecture épurée plaisait à ses contemporains notables et religieux qui le considéraient comme un créateur de génie. Couronné de gloire par des titres prestigieux tel qu’Architecte du Roi ou Chevalier de l’Ordre du Christ, il fut copié par les artistes de son temps et notamment par son filleul Pierre Thibault, l’architecte Jean Baptiste Franque ou encore le peintre Joseph Péru. Trois siècles plus tard, grâce au talent de Pierre II Mignard, le coeur de la ville d’Avignon, cerné par ses remparts ressemble à un joyau dans son écrin. / Pierre II Mignard born in Avignon, a land divided between papacy and kingdom, in an artist’s family. He was formed to the drawing and the painting in his father’s studio, before he followed his uncle, Pierre Mignard (as the Roman) in Paris. It was in the capital that Pierre II upgraded his pictorial and architectural art. He went to the south of France and in Italia to draw the most beautiful antic monument after to come back in France. Enriched by all he saw and he did, he became, in 1671, a founder member and Professor of the Royal Academy of Architecture, raising it to an art without embellishment, with its owncodes, pure simple and modern lines. After several years in the capital, he came back to his natal city. In Avignon, he was a very appreciated architect and painter, a civil engineer, cartographer, expert, mediator fascinated by its work. Last genius artist, he gave to the city his stamp mould on a new art. He did to his style a reference, and to his experience an art. He built big and gorgeous residence, still visible nowadays. This refined architecture was liked by his notable and religious contemporaries who considered him like a genius creative. Wreathed with glory by prestigious title like Architect of the King or Christ’s Knight, he was reproduced and imitated by artists and notably by his godson Pierre Thibault, the architectJean-Baptiste Franque or the painter Joseph Péru. Three century later, thanks to Pierre II Mignard’s talent, Avignon’s city’s heart, surrounded by its walls look like jewel in his case.

Très expérimentales, les gravures de Rembrandt ont suscité l’étonnement dès son époque. Les étudier à la lumière de la tradition du sublime aide à dégager la dynamique de la pensée du graveur, tout en offrant à cette tradition l’occasion de se renouveler. Ainsi notre étude confronte l’œuvre gravée de Rembrandt à trois conceptions du sublime. Le sublime poétique de Longin, qui incite le spectateur à cultiver ses dons à l’exemple des héros antiques. Le sublime chrétien comme lien entre l’abaissement du divin et l’élévation de l’homme. Et enfin le sublime du sentiment esthétique de Burke, qui explore l’expérience de la terreur provoquée par l’obscurité. Cette confrontation est utile pour comprendre la manière dont l’image réussit à communiquer la force des passions, en conquérant son autonomie par rapport au texte. Mais la quête spirituelle de Rembrandt, qui menace d’épuiser les possibilités de son médium, constitue une mise à l’épreuve de la notion de sublime. A l’image du divin qui s’est perdu dans le sensible, Rembrandt obscurcit extrêmement ses eaux-fortes, au risque de leur faire perdre toute force d’élévation, voire toute puissance d’évocation. Le sublime ne peut plus se penser que sur le mode du retrait, voire de la disparition. Le spectateur est incité à recueillir ses traces pour devenir témoin. / In his own day, Rembrandt’s etchings had aroused surprise in his contemporaries owing to their experimental quality. To study these works in the light of the philosophical tradition of the sublime helps to bring forth the dynamics of the artist’s thought while allowing this tradition to renew itself. Thus does our study confront Rembrandt’s etchings with three conceptions of the sublime: the poetic sublime of Longinus which urges one to cultivate one’s gifts, following the examples of the heroes of the ancient world; the Christian conception of the sublime, as a link between the descent of the divine and the spiritual elevation of man; and lastly, Burke’s aesthetic concept of the sublime, which explores the experience of terror produced by obscurity. This confrontation is useful in understanding the way in which a pictorial representation can succeed in communicating the force of passions and thereby in acquiring its autonomy from the written word. Yet Rembrandt’s spiritual quest, which threatens to exhaust the possibilities of his artistic medium, puts to the test the very notion of the sublime. Mirroring the loss of divinity that follows its descent into the flesh, Rembrandt darkens his etchings to the extreme, at the risk of them losing their uplifting and even their evocative power. As a result, the sublime can no more be perceived but in its very receding and at times total withdrawal. The viewer is moved to collecting its marks and becoming its witness.

Si les reliures arabes et islamiques ont connu une immense variété de décors au travers du Moyen-Age, la période allant du XIIIᵉ au XVᵉ siècle représente sans conteste un âge d’or quant à la richesse et la beauté des œuvres réalisées. Si pendant longtemps ce sont les formes géométriques et circulaires qui ont dominé, les conquêtes mongoles dès le XIIIᵉ ont contribuées à la diffusion du décor central en forme de mandorle de la Perse vers l’empire Mamelouk puis vers l’empire Ottoman. Celle-ci était largement utilisée par les relieurs persans dont l’art a certainement connu une influence artistique venant de Chine. Ce sont les artistes persans qui ont porté le décor en forme de mandorle à son plus haut degré de raffinement esthétique. La mandorle n’est apparue dans le répertoire des relieurs mamelouks qu’à partir de la fin du XIVᵉ siècle et a couramment été utilisée à partir de la deuxième moitié du XVᵉ siècle. C’est également à partir de cette période qu’elle apparaît sur les reliures ottomanes avec des mandorles polylobées ornées de belles arabesques et de décors floraux fins et raffinés réalisés de plus en plus souvent sur des fonds dorés. La fin du XVᵉ siècle est marquée par l’apparition des décors réalisés à l’aide de plaque qui va rapidement se répandre et remplacer les mandorles réalisées à l’aide de petits. L’influence esthétique des décors en forme de mandorle fut telle qu’elle se répandit jusque dans les répertoires des décors des reliures de la Renaissance italienne. Cette étude présente l'évolution et la diffusion du décor en forme de mandorle réalisé à l'aide de petits fers du XIIIᵉ au XVᵉ siècle sur la base d'un échantillon composé de quatre-vingt-douze reliures. / Arab and Islamic bindings offer a very large variety of patterns throughout the Middle Ages. The period from 13th to the 15th century is undoubtedly a golden age regarding the beauty of their ornement and decoration.If during a long time circular and geometric profiles dominated the bindings decoration, the Mongol conquests from the 13th century have contributed to the diffusion of almoond profile from Persia to the Mamluk and Ottoman's bindings. It was widely used by Persian bookbinders whose art has certainly experienced an artistic influence from China. Persian artists have worn the almond shape at its highest degree of aesthetic refinement. The almond profile only appeared into the Mamluk binder's repertoire until the end of the 15th century and commonly used from the second half of 15th century. It is also from this period that it appears on the Ottoman bindings with lobed profiles usually filled with beautiful arabesques and floral ornamentoften on gilded background. In the late 15th century appears the technique of pressure moulding, that involved the pressing of the leather with large stamps. This technique quickly spread and replace almond shape using small stamps. The aesthetic influence of the almond profile was such that it were introduced into the Italian bookbinder's repertoire by the middle of the 15th century. This study presents the developments and dissemination of the almond profile made with small stamps from the 13th to the 15th century on the basis of a sample of ninety two bindings.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4030. Adviser: William Kinderman. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 261-272) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4334. Adviser: Kimberly Shinew. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-198) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This thesis examines the first seventeen years of the history of the Museum of Modern Art Oxford (MOMA), from its founding in 1965 until c. 1982. It is concerned with the changing relationships between the museum and its audience, focusing on those aspects of the museum's programming that shed light on its role as a public mediator of recent art. This provides a means to consider the underlying values and commitments that informed MOMA's emergence as a leading contemporary art institution. Chapter one examines the museum's relationship to utopian countercultures through the metaphor of the museum as 'garden'; chapter two considers the erstwhile 'permanent' collection and its connection to corporate patronage; chapter three investigates the parallel forces of institutional critique and institutionalization; and chapter four addresses didactic strains in the museum's representation of an emergent multiculturalism. Although dedicated to the history of a single regional gallery, the thematic structure of the thesis provides entry points into historical and theoretical issues of broader relevance. It is based on primary research in the previously neglected archive of what is now known as Modern Art Oxford, supplemented by interviews with artists and former staff members, and by close attention to British art periodicals and exhibition catalogues of the period. It is also informed by critical writings on museums and displays, and by artistic, social and museological histories, allowing the museum's activities to be situated within the cultural politics of these turbulent decades. The thesis suggests that institutional identity - as exemplified by the history of MOMA from 1965-1982 - is porous and discontinuous: the development of the museum over this period is animated by multiple and often contradictory ideals, continuously shaped by pragmatic considerations, and subject to a rich variety of subjective responses.

Faire une recherche sur l'histoire de l'art contemporain chinois implique la formation de deux questionnements essentiels. Tout d'abord, il est possible d'émettre un doute quant à la pertinence de l'emploi du terme contemporain. L'interminable débat sur la notion de contemporanéité a laissé place au second questionnement, d'ordre géographique. Existe t-il un art contemporain chinois ? De Ma Yuan à Dong Qichang, la première grande partie de cette recherche s'est employée à brosser le portrait de l'inclinaison prise par l'art chinois. Il sera intéressant d'observer comment les artistes actuels se sont emparés de la culture antique chinoise et l'ont ressuscitée à travers le prisme de leur réalité contemporaine. Il convient d'opérer une scission dans le schéma chronologique, matérialisée par l'avènement de la République Populaire de Chine. L'aversion pour l'art du Parti Communiste associée à la volonté d'asservir la production artistique de manière utilitariste fut la source d'une esthétique et de codes formels inédits, directement empruntés au réalisme socialiste russe et à la propagande nazi. / The research on the history of the Chinese contemporary art implies two essential questions. First of all, we may question the use of the word "contemporary". The never-ending debate concerning contemporaneity has lead to the second question which concentrates on a more geographical point. Does a contemporary Chinese art really exist? From Ma Yuan to Dong Qichang, the first part of this research aims at tracing the evolution of Chinese art. It will be interesting to see how current artists seized the traditional Chinese culture and resurrected this art through the prism of their contemporary reality. It is necessary to link this ascension to the rising of the Popular Republic of China. The hatred of the Communist Party for art, associated to the will of producing a new utilitarian art, were the source of innovative aesthetics and formal codes directly influenced by the Russian socialist realism and the Nazi propaganda.

A presente investigação tem por objeto a atuação de Yolanda Penteado como gestora da arte moderna em São Paulo e no Brasil. A pesquisa pretende refletir sobre os mecanismos de gestão da arte brasileira no período entre as décadas de 1940 e 1960 - período no qual ocorrem as constituições do Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM SP), do Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), da Bienal de São Paulo, dos Museus Regionais e do Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (MAC USP), delineando o ambiente cultural e estético paulistano e o início do intercâmbio internacional através de mecenas como Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho, o Ciccillo, Assis Chateaubriand e, particularmente, Yolanda Penteado. Discute-se o papel de Yolanda Penteado como gestora das artes modernas, ou seja, mecenas e líder na criação de coleções, eventos e instituições. Nessa direção, as estratégias metodológicas adotadas no trabalho envolvem suportes interdisciplinares, relacionando História, História da Arte, Estética e outras áreas do conhecimento. O estudo recorre à autobiografia de Yolanda - Tudo em Cor-de- Rosa -, de 1976, à biografia Yolanda, de Antonio Bivar, publicada em 2009, às cartas, aos telegramas, às fotos, aos recortes de jornais, revistas e aos documentos oficiais presentes nos arquivos particulares e institucionais, tais como: Wanda Svevo (pertencente à Bienal de São Paulo), MAC USP, MASP, Fundação Cultural Ema Gordon Klabin, entre outros. Além disso, devem ser mencionadas entrevistas com pessoas que foram próximas a Yolanda Penteado e visitas técnicas à Fazenda Empyreo, que ainda hoje guarda objetos e reminiscências de sua presença. / The intention of this research is to assess the performance of Yolanda Penteado as a manager of modern art in São Paulo and Brazil and to reflect on the workings of art management in Brazil from the 1940s to 1960s, when the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM SP), the Art Museum of São Paulo (MASP), regional museums, the Contemporary Art Museum of the University of São Paulo (USP MAC) and the Biennale São Paulo were all founded. It also aims to put her work into the context of the cultural and aesthetic environment in São Paulo at that time, during which she and other art patrons, such as Ciccillo Matarazzo and Assis Chateaubriand began international exchanges. This research explores Yolanda Penteado´s role as a manager, patron and leader of collection creation, modern art institutions and events and how her work adopts strategies and methods from various disciplines, including History, Art History, Aesthetics and other knowledge bases. Reference is made to previous publications by Antonio Bivar: All in Pink-Rose (1976), and Yolanda Biography ( 2009), letters, telegrams, photos, newspaper clippings, magazines and official documents, all of which are kept in private and institutional archives, such as: Wanda Svevo (belonging to the Bienal de São Paulo), MAC USP, MASP, and the Ema Gordon Klabin Cultural Foundation. It contains content from interviews with people who were close to Yolanda Penteado and details visits to the Empyreo farm, which still keeps objects and reminders of her presence.