The Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez (b.1923) is an exemplar of modernism both in Europe and in Latin America. This thesis offers a broader understanding of his work by discussing his early paintings as a precedent to his more recognized production. Cruz-Diez's chief aim as an artist is the liberation of colour, a process undertaken with the motivation of being part of art history, in an avant-garde quest for what his original contribution to art could be. Transition, interaction, colour, space and time: these are the crucial concepts of the work of Cruz-Diez investigated in this thesis and positioned in the Latin American/European and Kinetic/Optical context. Today, Cruz-Diez's works from his first Physichromie (1959) onwards have been extensively explored both by him in numerous commentaries and by scholars. In contrast, only few works of the 1950s have been displayed and discussed. The key aspect of my argument is that 1959 is not an abrupt beginning to Cruz-Diez's work but the conclusive stage of a ten-year process of transition from figuration to abstraction. I demonstrate that there is indeed a drawn-out “passage” made of readings and experiments, of “successes” and" “failures”. I argue that this “passage” is articulated along three parallel paths: 1) the detachment from naturalistic or figurative representation; 2) the detachment from the concept of colour as a synonym of pigment on a support; and 3) the shift in emphasis from a “passive” to an “active” spectator.

In the contemporary art-historical vision, Mikhail Larionov is renowned as the author and the main figure in the polemical discourse of Neoprimitivism and the inventor of the Rayonism style. These aspects, although crucial to his career, are far from exhausting the artist’s legacy. During his most industrious period, from 1910 to 1915, he was equally, if not more, engaged in the development of new forms of art than in the practice of painting; in fact, the conventional cornerstone of the high art in the era of Modernism – a painting – lost its central position and receded to the status of the peripheral phenomenon in his artistic practice. When considering his position as a central figure in the events of the 1910-1915 in Russia, Larionov’s ambivalence as an artist implies hesitation about the picture of gestalt homogeneity of Modernist discourse (with a painting as the hierarchical apex of high art in the Modernist era) in Russia of the early decades of the twentieth century. While historical evaluation privileges the painting over the non-painting practice of the artist, there is sufficient evidence testifying to the need to consider them as equal and synergetic.

Breeze: A Meditation into Movement addresses motion-centered thesis works, the titular work Breeze, Ripple, and Small Things. It examines artistic approaches to employ movement, such as materiality, the use of algorithms, and video projection. Under the same subject matter 'wind', these three works demonstrate the infinite and ever-changing movements that are created by wind. Breeze, a kinetic sculpture, introduces materiality and physical wind to create erratic movement and projected real-time animations, Ripple and Small Things use a set of algorithms and live data for nature-inspired movement and scene transition. By creating unobtrusive motion that permeates the real space, these three works aim to share time and space and deliver a contemplative experience to the viewers. / Master of Fine Arts / Breeze: A Meditation into Movement addresses motion-centered thesis works, the titular work Breeze, Ripple, and Small Things. It examines artistic approaches to employ movement, such as materiality, the use of algorithms, and video projection. Under the same subject matter 'wind', these three works demonstrate the infinite and ever-changing movements that are created by wind. Breeze, a kinetic sculpture, introduces materiality and physical wind to create erratic movement and projected real-time animations, Ripple and Small Things use a set of algorithms and live data for nature-inspired movement and scene transition. By creating unobtrusive motion that permeates the real space, these three works aim to share time and space and deliver a contemplative experience to the viewers.

Dans ce rapport de mémoire, nous avons utilisé les méthodes numériques telles que la dynamique moléculaire (code de Lammps) et ART-cinétique. Ce dernier est un algorithme de Monte Carlo cinétique hors réseau avec construction du catalogue d'événements à la volée qui incorpore exactement tous les effets élastiques. Dans la première partie, nous avons comparé et évalué des divers algorithmes de la recherche du minimum global sur une surface d'énergie potentielle des matériaux complexes. Ces divers algorithmes choisis sont essentiellement ceux qui utilisent le principe Bell-Evans-Polanyi pour explorer la surface d'énergie potentielle. Cette étude nous a permis de comprendre d'une part, les étapes nécessaires pour un matériau complexe d'échapper d'un minimum local vers un autre et d'autre part de contrôler les recherches pour vite trouver le minimum global. En plus, ces travaux nous ont amené à comprendre la force de ces méthodes sur la cinétique de l'évolution structurale de ces matériaux complexes. Dans la deuxième partie, nous avons mis en place un outil de simulation (le potentiel ReaxFF couplé avec ART-cinétique) capable d'étudier les étapes et les processus d'oxydation du silicium pendant des temps long comparable expérimentalement. Pour valider le système mis en place, nous avons effectué des tests sur les premières étapes d'oxydation du silicium. Les résultats obtenus sont en accord avec la littérature. Cet outil va être utilisé pour comprendre les vrais processus de l'oxydation et les transitions possibles des atomes d'oxygène à la surface du silicium associée avec les énergies de barrière, des questions qui sont des défis pour l'industrie micro-électronique. / In this Master's thesis, we use the numerical methods such as molecular dynamics (LAMMPS's code) and kinetic-ART which is an on-the-fly off-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm that incorporates exactly all elastic effects. In the first, we compare a number of various algorithms used for sampling energy landscape of complex materials. The various algorithms chosen are those that use the Bell-Evans-Polanyi principle to progress on the potential energy surface.This study allowed us to understand the steps needed to escape a local minimum to another and to control research to quickly find the global minimum. This study also allowed us to understand the power of these methods on the kinetics of the structural evolution of complex materials. In the second part, we have developed a simulation tool (ReaxFF potential coupled with Kinetics-ART) able to study the first stages and oxidation process of silicon compare to the experimental time. To validate the system in place, we have tested the very first step of the silicon oxidation. The results obtained are in agreement with the literature. This tool will be used to understand the true oxidation process, the possible transitions of oxygen atoms at the silicon surface and the barrier associated with. Problem that are real challenges for the microelectronics industry.

Mgr. Zuzana Horvatovičová The Italian movement Arte Povera, Czechoslovak Nová citlivost and Czech - Italian relationships around Jindřich Chalupecký and Jiří Padrta ABSTRACT The main theme of this thesis was to compare two artistic phenomena of the sixties of the 20th century: the Italian movement Arte Povera (Poor Art, 1967) and the Czechoslovak avant-garde concentrated around the group exhibition New Sensitivity (Nová citlivost, 1968). It also focused on the network of contacts and principal organizers of Italian exhibitions especially in Prague and Czechoslovak exhibitions in Italy. Long research in archives and collecting of documentary material, catalogues and reviews led to very interesting results. Arguments of the thesis are based on the comparison of the constructivist work of the New Sensitivity artists with the group of Arte Povera and with the kinetic work of Arte Programmata. Much more shared elements were found to exist between the Czechoslovak circle of the New Sensitivity and the Italian artistic tendency Arte Programmata than between the artists and art works of exhibition New Sensitivity and the group Arte Povera. Italy and Czechoslovakia maintained a different art and "parallel" culture, although they came to a rather close contact in the "revolutionary" sixties.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:07:56Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_pcn_me_ia.pdf: 2121158 bytes, checksum: c65389f72cc8c8fdd5ed879840881b2b (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / A presente pesquisa justifica-se pela escassez de estudos contrapondo as práticas artísticas dos cinéticos venezuelanos às dos concretos paulistas, ainda que os dois movimentos tenham sido contemporâneos e influenciado fortemente a produção artística em seus respectivos países. A pesquisa foi feita por meio de levantamento bibliográfico, trabalhos acadêmicos, artigos e catálogos de exposições relacionadas ao tema. Foi elaborada de forma comparativa, buscando identificar fontes de referência e bibliografia específica com o objetivo de estabelecer as influências construtivas européias pertinentes à produção da arte concreta no Brasil e à arte cinética na Venezuela durante a década de 1950. Assim, são exploradas as similaridades entre os movimentos, partindo-se, para tanto, de suas raízes construtivas, para chegar às suas respectivas particularidades. Delimita-se o escopo da presente pesquisa à obra de três artistas de cada movimento e suas respectivas produções no período em questão. São eles: Luiz Sacilotto, Judith Lauand e Geraldo de Barros, no que tange aos concretos, e Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Alejandro Otero em relação aos cinéticos. Apresenta-se o surgimento do concretismo em São Paulo, em volta do Grupo Ruptura sob forte influência das ideias construtivistas defendidas por Waldemar Cordeiro e das tendências abstracionistas no Brasil à época. Paralelamente, explora-se o impacto do grupo Los Disidientes, articulado por Otero e suas repercussões na obra de Soto e Cruz-Diez, bem como o contexto venezuelano desde a ocasião do Manifesto Los Disidentes (1950) até a adoção da abstração no país. Examina-se a convergência dos artistas em Paris durante os anos 1950, o que possibilitou o intercâmbio das experiências de Alejandro Otero, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Jesús Rafael Soto. Da mesma... / This research is justified by the lack of studies comparing the kinetics artistics practices of Venezuela and concrete practices from São Paulo. This work was made through research of bibliography, academic papers, articles and exhibitions catalogues related to the theme. It has been done in a comparative manner aiming to identify references and specific bibliographies with the purpose of establishing the constructive European influences related to the production of a concrete art in Brazil and a kInetic art in Venezuela in the 1950s. Therefore, it explores the movement similarities from their constructive roots to their respective particularities. The scope of this research is limited to the work of three artists of each movement and to their respective productions during the period in question. They are: Luiz Sacilotto, Judith Lauand and Geraldo de Barros for the concretes; and Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Alejandro Otero for the kinetics. There is a discussion about the origin of the concrete movement in São Paulo, around the Ruptura Group, under the influence of the constructivist ideas championed by Waldemar Cordeiro and the abstract tendencies in Brazil at the time. It is also presented the impact of Los Disidientes Group articulated by Otero and its repercussion in the work of Soto and Cruz-Diez, in addition to the Venezuelan context since of the release of Manifesto Los Disidientes (1950) until the adoption of abstraction in the country. The research also analyses the convergence of the artists in Paris during the 1950s which enable the experience interchange between Alejandro Otero, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Jesús Rafael Soto. In the same way, there will be a discussion about the limitations of the adoption of the abstract geometrical language as the way through modernization and rationality which characterizes and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Orientador: Percival Tirapeli / Banca: José Leonardo do Nascimento / Banca: Ana Maria Nogueira / Resumo: A presente pesquisa justifica-se pela escassez de estudos contrapondo as práticas artísticas dos cinéticos venezuelanos às dos concretos paulistas, ainda que os dois movimentos tenham sido contemporâneos e influenciado fortemente a produção artística em seus respectivos países. A pesquisa foi feita por meio de levantamento bibliográfico, trabalhos acadêmicos, artigos e catálogos de exposições relacionadas ao tema. Foi elaborada de forma comparativa, buscando identificar fontes de referência e bibliografia específica com o objetivo de estabelecer as influências construtivas européias pertinentes à produção da arte concreta no Brasil e à arte cinética na Venezuela durante a década de 1950. Assim, são exploradas as similaridades entre os movimentos, partindo-se, para tanto, de suas raízes construtivas, para chegar às suas respectivas particularidades. Delimita-se o escopo da presente pesquisa à obra de três artistas de cada movimento e suas respectivas produções no período em questão. São eles: Luiz Sacilotto, Judith Lauand e Geraldo de Barros, no que tange aos concretos, e Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Alejandro Otero em relação aos cinéticos. Apresenta-se o surgimento do concretismo em São Paulo, em volta do Grupo Ruptura sob forte influência das ideias construtivistas defendidas por Waldemar Cordeiro e das tendências abstracionistas no Brasil à época. Paralelamente, explora-se o impacto do grupo Los Disidientes, articulado por Otero e suas repercussões na obra de Soto e Cruz-Diez, bem como o contexto venezuelano desde a ocasião do Manifesto Los Disidentes (1950) até a adoção da abstração no país. Examina-se a convergência dos artistas em Paris durante os anos 1950, o que possibilitou o intercâmbio das experiências de Alejandro Otero, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Jesús Rafael Soto. Da mesma... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract:This research is justified by the lack of studies comparing the kinetics artistics practices of Venezuela and concrete practices from São Paulo. This work was made through research of bibliography, academic papers, articles and exhibitions catalogues related to the theme. It has been done in a comparative manner aiming to identify references and specific bibliographies with the purpose of establishing the constructive European influences related to the production of a concrete art in Brazil and a kInetic art in Venezuela in the 1950s. Therefore, it explores the movement similarities from their constructive roots to their respective particularities. The scope of this research is limited to the work of three artists of each movement and to their respective productions during the period in question. They are: Luiz Sacilotto, Judith Lauand and Geraldo de Barros for the concretes; and Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Alejandro Otero for the kinetics. There is a discussion about the origin of the concrete movement in São Paulo, around the Ruptura Group, under the influence of the constructivist ideas championed by Waldemar Cordeiro and the abstract tendencies in Brazil at the time. It is also presented the impact of Los Disidientes Group articulated by Otero and its repercussion in the work of Soto and Cruz-Diez, in addition to the Venezuelan context since of the release of Manifesto Los Disidientes (1950) until the adoption of abstraction in the country. The research also analyses the convergence of the artists in Paris during the 1950s which enable the experience interchange between Alejandro Otero, Carlos Cruz-Diez e Jesús Rafael Soto. In the same way, there will be a discussion about the limitations of the adoption of the abstract geometrical language as the way through modernization and rationality which characterizes and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Dans une Espagne étouffée par la dictature de Francisco Franco qui tente de réintégrer la scène artistique internationale en promouvant à l’étranger certains artistes abstraits informels, la position de collectif d’artistes abstraits géométriques Equipo 57 est singulière. Désireux de découvrir un monde libre et assoiffés de savoir, les jeunes artistes Juan Serrano, José Duarte, Agustín Ibarrola et Ángel Duart se rencontrent à Paris en 1957. Partageant les mêmes affinités pour l’art construit, les avant-gardes russes et la même volonté de rénovation de la vie culturelle espagnole, ils décident de former une équipe de travail et de discussion. De retour à Cordoue, rejoints par Juan Cuenca, les cinq membres du collectif élaborent la théorie de l’Interactivité de l’espace plastique qui sous-tend leurs créations, où l’individualité de chacun est gommée au profit de l’oeuvre collective. À la recherche d’un art qui puisse se réintégrer dans la vie quotidienne tout en questionnant la responsabilité de l’artiste, Equipo 57 emploie un langage rationnel et objectif qui s’exprime aussi bien dans le champ de la peinture, de la sculpture que du design. Il tente ainsi de conjuguer recherches formelles et engagement social. Cette première étude monographique en français propose d’analyser le parcours d’Equipo 57, depuis sa formation à Paris en 1957 jusqu’à dissolution officielle en 1966, en le confrontant au contexte socioculturel de l’Espagne franquiste et de l’Europe occidentale au tournant des années cinquante et soixante. / In the 1950s, as Francisco Franco’s dictatorship tries to reintegrate its stifled country’s art scene onto the world stage by promoting certain Spanish abstract expressionists abroad, the position of Equipo 57, a collective of geometrical abstractionists, is unique. Eager to discover the free world, and thirsty for knowledge, the young artists Juan Serrano, José Duarte, Agustín Ibarrola and Ángel Duart meet in Paris in 1957. Sharing the same affinity for constructivist art and the Russian avant-garde, and united in their desire to renew Spanish cultural life, they decide to form a team of work and discussion. Upon their return to Cordoba, where they are joined by Juan Cuenca, the five members of the team elaborate a theory of the Interactivity of plastic space which guides their creation. The individuality of each member is thus erased for the good of the collective work. Aiming for an art that is able to enter into everyday life while questioning the responsibility of the artist, Equipo 57 uses a rational and objective language which takes form in painting, sculpture and design. They try to combine formal experiments as well as socio-political engagement. This premier monographic study in French aims to analyze the career of Equipo 57, from its inception in Paris in 1957 to its official dissolution in 1966. The group’s existence will be confronted with its sociocultural context in Franco’s Spain and Western Europe at the turn of the decade of the 1950s and 1960s.

This dissertation is a study of the experimental artistic practice of the group called Dvizhenie (The Movement) that was active in Moscow between 1964 and 1976 and associated with the Kinetic movement. The period of the group’s activity coincided with a political transition in the USSR from later stages of The Khrushchev’s Thaw characterised by cultural liberation and political reforms into The Stagnation era already defined by Leonid Brezhnev’s rule and subsequently a more conservative and stricter governmental attitude towards artistic production. In this period of a little more than a decade, The Movement group was a single experimental union in the USSR that enjoyed public success and achieved a rapid transformation of their activities from small-scale exhibitions into public state commissions. In the course of this transition, the members of the group formed an entirely new artistic language that was neither similar to Socialist Realism nor to the tendencies of Abstract painting, which gained importance in the circles of experimental Soviet artists at the time. Instead, they turned to the aesthetics of Kinetic art, science- fiction and design and found inspiration in a dialogue with Russian Avant-garde tradition. The narrative of the dissertation follows the specificity of the experimental group’s development in the defined stages and analyses how the group met with the challenges of censorship and opportunities of ideological collaborations. On a broader scale, the dissertation offers an investigation into the functions of experimental thinking in the USSR in the 1960s and evaluates the role of futuristic planning and artists’ dialogue with the restored tradition of the 1920s Avant-garde projects.:Table of Contents List of illustrations...............................................................................................5 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................13 Introduction.....................................................................................................15 State of Research.............................................................................................21 Methodology....................................................................................................29 Chapter I. 1960s Alternative Culture: in the USSR and Abroad...................................53 1.1. Defence of individualism: The Thaw (1954–1968)...........................................53 1.2. Open work against individualism: 1960s movement of Kinetic art......................65 1.3. In transition to Kinetic art: the formation of The Movement group.......................71 Chapter II. Theory and Practice Of The Movement...................................................81 2.1.Theoretical principles of the group: synthesis, symmetry, and movement.............81 2.2.“Towards Synthesis In Arts”, 1964, Moscow...................................................90 2.3.Architects or artists, 1965, Leningrad..........................................................102 2.4. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, 1966, Moscow.....................................107 Chapter III. The Movement’s Performances and Theatre Productions........................115 3.1.Artistic strategies of performance in The Movement’s practice..........................115 3.2.Humans and machines............................................................................123 3.3. Manifestation of the synthesis principle in performances................................135 3.4.The symbolism of history in The Movement’s productions...............................139 3.5.Escapism of the nature performances.........................................................143 3.6.The strategy of an artefact in Infante’s work.................................................150 Chapter IV. Sciences, State, and Culture..............................................................154 4.1.Kinetic art in urban and exhibition designs...................................................154 4.2. Agitational art at the 1967 October Festival.................................................159 4.3. Value of creativity and designs for “Orlenok”, 1968.......................................170 4.4.Exhibition designs..................................................................................172 4.5.Art and the Stagnation period in the USSR..................................................182 Chapter V. Futurism In The Movement’s Projects..................................................187 5.1. Artificial environments of the next century....................................................187 5.2. The future is cybernetic...........................................................................192 5.3. The power of play..................................................................................195 5.4. Rationalising the unknown: transhumanism and space travel in The Movement’s futurism.........................................................................................................199 3 5.5. Why we need another utopia?..................................................................207 Chapter VI. The Movement: Separate and Abroad.................................................217 6.1. The Movement as a part of the global network.............................................217 6.2. The Movement as a part of dissident art and contemporary interpretations........222 6.3. Separate ways: Infante, Nussberg, Koleichuk..............................................231 Epilogue........................................................................................................243 Bibliography...................................................................................................252 Illustrations....................................................................................................265

This dissertation is a study of the experimental artistic practice of the group called Dvizhenie (The Movement) that was active in Moscow between 1964 and 1976 and associated with the Kinetic movement. The period of the group’s activity coincided with a political transition in the USSR from later stages of The Khrushchev’s Thaw characterised by cultural liberation and political reforms into The Stagnation era already defined by Leonid Brezhnev’s rule and subsequently a more conservative and stricter governmental attitude towards artistic production. In this period of a little more than a decade, The Movement group was a single experimental union in the USSR that enjoyed public success and achieved a rapid transformation of their activities from small-scale exhibitions into public state commissions. In the course of this transition, the members of the group formed an entirely new artistic language that was neither similar to Socialist Realism nor to the tendencies of Abstract painting, which gained importance in the circles of experimental Soviet artists at the time. Instead, they turned to the aesthetics of Kinetic art, science- fiction and design and found inspiration in a dialogue with Russian Avant-garde tradition. The narrative of the dissertation follows the specificity of the experimental group’s development in the defined stages and analyses how the group met with the challenges of censorship and opportunities of ideological collaborations. On a broader scale, the dissertation offers an investigation into the functions of experimental thinking in the USSR in the 1960s and evaluates the role of futuristic planning and artists’ dialogue with the restored tradition of the 1920s Avant-garde projects.:Table of Contents List of illustrations...............................................................................................5 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................13 Introduction.....................................................................................................15 State of Research.............................................................................................21 Methodology....................................................................................................29 Chapter I. 1960s Alternative Culture: in the USSR and Abroad...................................53 1.1. Defence of individualism: The Thaw (1954–1968)...........................................53 1.2. Open work against individualism: 1960s movement of Kinetic art......................65 1.3. In transition to Kinetic art: the formation of The Movement group.......................71 Chapter II. Theory and Practice Of The Movement...................................................81 2.1.Theoretical principles of the group: synthesis, symmetry, and movement.............81 2.2.“Towards Synthesis In Arts”, 1964, Moscow...................................................90 2.3.Architects or artists, 1965, Leningrad..........................................................102 2.4. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, 1966, Moscow.....................................107 Chapter III. The Movement’s Performances and Theatre Productions........................115 3.1.Artistic strategies of performance in The Movement’s practice..........................115 3.2.Humans and machines............................................................................123 3.3. Manifestation of the synthesis principle in performances................................135 3.4.The symbolism of history in The Movement’s productions...............................139 3.5.Escapism of the nature performances.........................................................143 3.6.The strategy of an artefact in Infante’s work.................................................150 Chapter IV. Sciences, State, and Culture..............................................................154 4.1.Kinetic art in urban and exhibition designs...................................................154 4.2. Agitational art at the 1967 October Festival.................................................159 4.3. Value of creativity and designs for “Orlenok”, 1968.......................................170 4.4.Exhibition designs..................................................................................172 4.5.Art and the Stagnation period in the USSR..................................................182 Chapter V. Futurism In The Movement’s Projects..................................................187 5.1. Artificial environments of the next century....................................................187 5.2. The future is cybernetic...........................................................................192 5.3. The power of play..................................................................................195 5.4. Rationalising the unknown: transhumanism and space travel in The Movement’s futurism.........................................................................................................199 3 5.5. Why we need another utopia?..................................................................207 Chapter VI. The Movement: Separate and Abroad.................................................217 6.1. The Movement as a part of the global network.............................................217 6.2. The Movement as a part of dissident art and contemporary interpretations........222 6.3. Separate ways: Infante, Nussberg, Koleichuk..............................................231 Epilogue........................................................................................................243 Bibliography...................................................................................................252 Illustrations....................................................................................................265