A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Arts. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Fine Arts. Johannesburg 1996 / Likeness is a central issue to the tradition of portrait painting. This dissertation examines the notion of likeness in some contemporary high portrait painting. Likeness is viewed as constructed socially through the complex relations between artist, sitter and viewer. Faced with the problematic notions of realism and naturalism and their philosophical ramifications, the dissertation confronts the question of What in our world can be regarded as natural or given, and what is constructed or acquired. The discussion, framed by the debate set up between Nelson Goodman and E.H. Gombrich, leads to the conclusion that the 'natural' and the 'real' are not neutral, they are highly constructed. The dIfferences between various conventions; various ways of representing others, are extrapolated from the debate, and once acknowledged. the final position taken is a less linear conventionalist stance. The constructed nature of likeness is tested against the portraits by American artist, Andy Warhol and British artist. Lucian Freud, contemporary painters working in direct antithesis to one another. The aim is to show that both of their portrait likenesses. whether private or public, painterly Or mechanical, are embedded within socially constructed conventions. Recognition of 'the conventions can guide the viewer in deconstructing the work and locating the meaning. I discuss my own work in relation to the contents of this dissertation.

At the beginning or the program my work was strongly oriented toward the individual objects used in the paintings and lacked any cohesive means or unification. Collage was used as an attempt for unification but more was still needed. It was not until I let go or observed or preconceived images and allowed the image to develop from the free now or washes and lines that I was able to allow the picture to give ideas back to me. The pictures were now growing from themselves and from the ideas suggested to me, without having to force the image prior to starting a painting. After many black and white works in this give and take approach I chose to introduce collage and color back into my work. It was also at this point that the choice of subject matter, prior to starting the painting, reappeared. I was now able to work with subject matter as I had before, but in a new, open, and flowing way.

One question raised when creating, evaluating and appraising art work is 'How do we know what we know?' This exegesis attempts to answer this by establishing the important role intuitive knowledge plays in decision making in general, and within the author's own art practice specifically. The study reviews some of the literature on intuition from philosophical and psychological perspective in order to validate intuitive knowledge and intuitive decision making within contemporary art practice. However, just because intuition may drive the process, it does not mean that the product of intuitive practice is necessarily good or has any value. Consequently, the importance of aesthetics, and the values of integrity, honesty and truth are explored from a philosophical perspective. These are discussed in relation to the art practice of other artists from this century as well as that of the writer. Having constructed a philosophical framework to work within and be guided by, the final part of this study documents the development of the practical work and how this framework influences the art practice and the outcomes of that practice. It is hoped that the results of the study will reassert the validity and relevance of this form of art practice and philosophy within contemporary art practice. / Master of Arts (Hons) (Visual Art)

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The subject of this dissertation is female self-portraiture in Australia of the interwar years, 1918 to 1939. The primary concern of this thesis is to consider self-portraiture as a conceptual process. Self-portrayal is understood as an act of cultural invention rather than an unmediated access to an essential core self. It is this invention and what is entailed in the process of self-imagining, rather than any formal analysis of the style, which is of greatest concern. (For complete abstract open document)

This study presents an analysis of the contribution of four painters to the development of contemporary Zambian painting, from 1950 to 1997. This is preceded by a brief history of Zambian painting, including Bushmen rock painting and early Bantu art, which is followed by an account of the way western influence, introduced by the white man, started changing the style of painting in the country as it began to affect indigenous artists. In the work of artists who began painting from about 1900 to 1950, both western and traditional stylistic influences can be seen. While the painters whose work is analysed in this thesis had some knowledge of Zambian art before 1950, they were mainly influenced by western ideas of painting. From a list of more than ten painters ofthis period from 1950 to 1997, I selected: Gabriel Ellison, Cynthia Zukas, Hemy Tayali and Stephen Kappata because I know them personally and therefore had access to them and their work, which facilitated my analysis of their work and its contribution to Zambian painting. This analysis takes the form of four chapters, one for each artist, in which relevant biographical and educational background is outlined, followed by an analysis of examples of\vork. Finally, ways in which each painter, through exposure to the Zambian public and artistic community, contributed to further development in Zambian painting, are emphasised.

The study of Nazi art as an historical document provided an effective measure of Nazi political platform and social policy. Because the ideology of the Third Reich is represented within Nazi art itself, it is useful to have a good understanding of the politics and ideology, surrounding the German art world at the time. Women were used in this study as an exemplification of Nazi art. This study uses the subject of women in Nazi painting, to show how the ideology is represented within the art work itself. It was first necessary to understand the fervorent "cleansing" of the German art world initiated by the Nazis. The Nazis too effectively stamped out all forms of professional art criticism, and virtually changed the function of the art critic to art editor. The nazification of the German artist was "necessary" in order for the Nazis to enjoy total control over the creation of German art. With these three steps taken in the "cleansing" of the German art world, the Nazis made sure that the creation of a "true" Germanic art would go forth completely unhindered. In order to comprehend the subject of Nazi art regarding women, the inherent ideology must be studied. The "new" German woman under National Socialism, was to be the mother, the model of Aryan characteristics, healthy and lean. Nazi political doctrine stated that women were inherently connected with the blood and soil of the nation, as well as nature itself. Women were to be innocent and pure, the bearers of the future Volk and the sustenance of that Volk. Once this political ideology is understood, the depiction of the German woman as mother, as nature, as sexual object, can be placed within Nazi historical context. Political art provided the Nazi state, the historical legitimization the government needed. It provided the means by which the state could be visually validated, politically, and historically.

This dissertation is a study of selected works of the South African landscape painter Amy Bertha Everard (l 873-1965) with the emphasis on discovering relevant means of interpreting her use of landscape as metaphor. In Chapter One Bertha 's family history and background is traced. This includes developments in her work from the earliest known sketches and paintings, her travels, experiences and artistic training. Chapter Two examines Bertha 's relationships with family and friends, with a section at the end that discusses the candidate 's interpretation of some of the letters that have been made available for this research by the Tatham Art Gallery. This is in order to establish some character traits that may be relevant to the subsequent interpretation of landscape as metaphor in the final chapter. Chapter Three discusses selected paintings with reference to the analysis of their subject matter, composition and technique. Criticism of selected work is made with some reference to Frieda Harmsen 's observations in The Women of Bonnefoi (1980), while some references are made to what appears to be previously undocumented works, discovered during this research. Exhibitions and reception of much of Bertha's work is also covered in this chapter. This is done in order to trace the development of her work within the context of her life experience with regard to her travels and relationships. Chapter Four examines the influences of faith and religion on her life and possibly her art. As a self-appointed Anglican missionary and teacher to labourers on her farms, a great deal of time and energy was spent in this practice. Reference is made to some prevailing religious and social ideologies in southern Africa that may have influenced her activities or that may have been motivating factors in her desire to participate in this field. Chapter Five discusses some of the possible discourses that may have affected Bertha's perception ofart and her decision to pursue this as a career. In the absence of much factual knowledge about the early period of her life in England, it is acknowledged that this interpretation is speculative. A survey of art practices and art institutions in Victorian England is made in an attempt to establish the prevailing conditions in the art world during her youth. Some reference is made to conditions in South Africa that may have influenced Bertha 's perception of art and her decision to pursue this as a career. Chapter Six discusses, in greater detail, aspects of the South African context in which Bertha Everard lived for the greater part of her adult life. A survey is made of the establishment and development of some early art institutions and the people who constituted the art world at that time in South Africa This is in order to discover possible influences on her work and its reception as well as the socio-political and historical context that may have affected her life. As a counterpoint, the work of three of Bertha's contemporary female South African artists - Allerly Glossop, Maggie Laubser and Irma Stem - is discussed. Chapter Seven discusses possible interpretations of landscape as metaphor related to specific paintings. In this chapter, nationalistic and imperialistic ideologies in South Africa are discussed, comparing Bertha's painting with that of R Pierneef, and some possible interpretations of their use of landscape as metaphor. Appendix I comprises two sections . The Summary of Letters is an overview of the letters that were studied for the purpose of this research. Their contents have been divided into sub-headings , related to areas of interest to this research, namely: Bertha's relationship with Edith, Charles, her children and motherhood, relationships (in general) and issues of gender, politics and racism , mission work and faith, landscape and weather, illness, exhibitions and criticism , work and painting. The Everard Letters gives selected quotations from the letters researched, under the same sub-headings. Appendix 2 records an interview with Leonora Everard Haden, by the candidate, in which Everard Haden's written responses are recorded. Volume 2 contains illustrations of most of Bertha 's work that are referred to in the dissertation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Orientador: Nelson Alfredo Aguilar / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T11:12:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mol_EliasPerigolo_M.pdf: 45699349 bytes, checksum: 0aa0676c63c1f2a73f7b7c3e9192234d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Este estudo analisa a obra do artista mineiro Amilcar de Castro (1920-2002) e busca as relações existentes entre as suas diferentes produções: o desenho, a pintura, a gravura, sua atuação à frente da reforma gráfica no Jornal do Brasil e o restante de sua produção escultórica / Abstract: This study examines the work of artist Amilcar de Castro (1920-2002). It investigates the relationships between his various activities: drawing, painting, printmaking, his role leading the redesign of Jornal do Brasil as well as his sculpture production / Mestrado / Historia da Arte / Mestre em História

1 Abstract A monograph on Jan Kotík (1916-2002) introduces both his art and theoretical work, it deals with a historical and cultural context of the now-defunct Czechoslovakia. Kotík's - an artist's, theoretician's, published author's, educator's - artwork enjoys a prominent position in the context of Czech art of the second half of 20th century. An art-historical assessment of artwork was based on Kotik's artwork inventory and on all the documentation on Kotik's life and art work archived in the Documentation Department of the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of the CR and in private archives in the CR and Berlin. The study is based on a method of organic combination of biographical data and art-historical data with quotation of Kotik's theoretical texts. An evolution of artist's work is demonstrated chronologically with the context to Czech and world art. The monograph includes chapters: "Father Pravoslav's Art Studio and Study Years", "Art Group 42", "Possibilities of Applied Art", "Painting-Object", "Stay in Berlin", "Returns".