Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University Dept. of Art.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University, Dept. of Art.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University Dept. of Art. / Electronic thesis. Also available in print ed.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University, Dept. of Art. / Electronic thesis. Also available in print ed.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University, Dept. of Art. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-120).

Thesis (M.A.)-- Brigham Young University. Dept. of Art. / Bibliography: leaves 67-70.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Art & Design.

The purpose of this study was to examine certain characteristics of representative examples of visual art fostered by the Mormon Church and to arrive at an estimate of the aesthetic values of these works by a comparative analysis with aesthetic values stressed in the literature.Representative examples of Mormon art were examined to determine their primary purposes and themes. Each work considered was classified according to the following primary categories developed in a preliminary survey: (1) History Glorification, (2) Depiction of Moral Models, (3) Scriptural Teaching, and (4) Aesthetic Purpose.The representative examples were analyzed for their stylistic qualities to determine the types represented and were classified according to the following primary categories: (1) Realism, (2) Illusionism, (3) Idealism, (4) Popular Romanticism, and (5) Stylization.An estimate was made of the aesthetic value of these works by measuring the above findings against such points of judgment as were cited by critics in the art literature.

A survey was conducted to determine the responses of the public to the First Festival of Mormon Art on exhibition at the Brigham Young University. Data were collected by means of questionnaires made available to gallery visitors. Through these responses it was determined that:(1) Over three-fourths of the visiting public felt that art is important in relation to the Gospel. There was a positive correlation between the respondents' interest and experience in art and their feelings for the importance of art in relation to the Gospel.(2) Over three-fourths of the visiting public felt that the exhibition was successful. The respondents less qualified and less interested in art tended to rate the show both more positively and more negatively than those more qualified and more interested in art.(3) Slightly more than half of the visiting public felt that the written statements placed next to some of the works were helpful in appreciating or understanding the works.(4) The illustrative works tended to be less popular generally than some of the less illustrative or abstract works.

The writer's reason for making this study is a felt lack of taste and a general misunderstanding and misuse of the visual arts in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She is convinced that art, generally considered as a matter of personal taste, is actually a matter of professional judgement. A characteristic of our time is the "do-it-yourself" trend and to make up ones own mind about everything without any consultation of authorities and also a loss of feeling for integrity in productions of the human mind and hand which broke down the fences against kitsch and opened up the way, not only into man's environment, but also into his thinking. May the reader find in this study a help towards a better understanding and a greater awareness of the problem of kitsch.