Magister Artium - MA (Anthropology/Sociology) / This thesis examines the production of commercial art in contemporary Mozambique. It explores the power relationship between local artists – painters and sculptors – and their patrons and brokers in the art market. This means, on one hand, that it looks at the artworks that have been produced during the late colonial period (1962 – 1974) and the post-colonial periods (June 1975 - 2010) and relates this to the changing political landscape in Mozambique. On the other hand, the aim is to explore the artists’ life histories, especially how their talent was first recognized, their art training (formal or otherwise), previous work experience, and the reasons for their current success (or lack thereof). This is done in order to see how and to what extent their artistic works have been influenced by external forces or actors. The power relationship existing between the art producers and their customers in the art markets in Mozambique is then related to the issue of globalisation. In this process, the study critically analyses who the actual art patrons of Mozambique art are and the extent to which Mozambican art is influenced by global forces. The focus is on a number of artists and the thesis examines their life histories specific to their art production in order to highlight the themes and trends of their art works. It was found that local art produced in Mozambique is not simply responding to local influences but also to global forces, of which the latter dominates. However, the study further reveals that while the art producers are influenced externally by their buyers, they (the art producers) have their own ways of manipulating their buyers in order to be able to sell their products. In other words, the artists have the power of mediating between local, personal influence and that of the patrons. / South Africa

Cette thèse, qui présente les sculpteurs actifs à Florence à l’époque des deux derniers grands-ducs de la dynastie des Médicis, Cosme III (1670-1723) et Jean-Gaston (1723-1737), est une étude de synthèse permettant de situer les sculpteurs dans un contexte social et historique. Elle considère le métier de sculpteur sous tous ses aspects : la formation, les conditions de vie et de travail, le statut social, l’organisation des ateliers, la répartition du travail entre les différents collaborateurs, le processus de création des sculptures et des décors sculptés, ainsi que le rôle essentiel du dessin dans l’élaboration et l’exécution de ces sculptures. En arrivant au pouvoir, Cosme III voulut donner un nouvel essor à la sculpture florentine et prit de nombreuses initiatives dans cette direction : il transforma l’enseignement, développa la production d’objets de luxe au sein de la Galleria dei Lavori et facilita le travail des sculpteurs de nombreuses manières, offrant à la plupart d’entre eux des pensions, des charges officielles et des ateliers. Les sculpteurs étaient certes nombreux, mais la vie artistique s’articulait en réalité autour de quelques figures majeures. Le plus important était Giovanni Battista Foggini, installé dans le célèbre atelier des sculpteurs de cour situé Borgo Pinti. Il cumula les fonctions de Premier sculpteur et d’architecte de la Galleria dei Lavori, dirigeant ainsi une très vaste équipe d’assistants et de collaborateurs. Notre recherche est fondée sur un ample dépouillement d’archives et sur l’étude de dessins préparatoires. Un volume d’annexe comprend un répertoire des sculpteurs ainsi que la transcription de nombreux documents inédits. / This thesis, presenting sculptors active in Florence at the time of the last two grand dukes of the Medici dynasty, Cosimo III (1670-1723) and Gian Gastone (1723-1737), is a synthetic study which situates these sculptors in their historical and societal contexts. The work takes into account all the aspects of the profession: the training, in Rome and in Florence, the living and working conditions, the social status, the organisation of the workshops, the creative process, the division of work among the specialists, as well as the important role of drawing in designing and executing the works. When Cosimo III came into power, he decided to bring about a revival in Florentine sculpture and rapidly took many initiatives in this direction: he reformed artistic education, developed the production of luxury artefacts within the Galleria dei Lavori and facilitated the work of sculptors in many ways, offering many of them monthly pensions, official functions and locations for workshops. Even though the period saw a significant number of sculptors working in Florence, artistic life actually centred around a limited number of major figures. Giovanni Battista Foggini, the most important, was settled in the famous sculpture workshop located in Borgo Pinti. At the height of his long career, Foggini was First sculptor as well as Architect of the Galleria dei Lavori, hence managing a vast team of collaborators, assistants and craftsmen. The research is based on a thorough analysis of the archives related to the period as well as an extensive study of the preparatory drawings. A volume of appendices contains a repertory of the sculptors and also the transcription of many unpublished documents.

This thesis establishes guidelines and develops art historical instructional materials that answer requirements of discipline-based and feminist art education. Recent literature on the theoretical bases and curricular applications of DBAE,and feminist writings in art education and art history serve as conceptual sources for developing an integrative art historical model. This study applies this model to develop a variety of high school level instruction materials based on the lives of 19th century American neoclassical women sculptors. These materials contain biographies, sources of reproductions, and an analysis of these artists' particular positions as women, and as artists, in nineteenth century America. The last chapter provides information and suggestions for teachers on how to use the materials in a discipline based context. This kind of integrative approach can serve to broaden our understandings and experiences of the visual arts so that they are more truly representative of all humankind.

Aquesta investigació té com objectiu l’estudi de l’obra escultòrica de Josep Granyer i Giralt (1899-1983). S'han realitzat alguns estudis breus, perfils biogràfics i catàlegs d'exposicions sobre l’artista barceloní al llarg d'aquests darrers anys. Tot i així, no tenia encara cap anàlisi, monografia ni catalogació rigorosa i en profunditat de la seva obra escultòrica. Aquesta tesi és un primer pas per recuperar, reconstruir i divulgar la figura de Josep Granyer i la seva obra escultòrica. La producció de Granyer és una obra complexa, extensa i variada, que per la seva magnitud calia acotar i limitar. Així, hem decidit d'excloure de la catalogació l'obra que té com il•lustrador, dibuixant i gravador i abordar una aproximació de Granyer, a partir del fil conductor de la seva obra escultòrica. Hem treballat en dues línies: refer la trajectòria artística i vital de l'artista barceloní i fer el catàleg raonat de l'obra escultòrica. En aquest sentit, ens ha permès revisar i transitar per un període de la nostra història de l'art català del segle XX i recuperar un espai dins la historiografia en un aspecte com és el de l'escultura. La tesi està dividida en tres blocs. La trajectòria vital, l'obra de Josep Granyer i el catàleg raonat que conforma la tercera part de l'estudi. Hem adjuntat un apèndix amb una selecció del seu diari il•lustrat, una eina peculiar que ens ha permès reconstruir i accedir a aspectes i consideracions d'un període concret del seu camí artístic i personal. El primer objectiu ha sigut la creació d'un catàleg amb un inventari de més de tres-centes peces escultòriques. El recorregut per tot aquest conjunt d'obres, no només ens ha mostrat l'evolució artística del seu creador, sinó que també ens ha proporcionat una visió global de la dimensió de la producció i una base per construir la monografia. Aquest estudi té com propòsit omplir un buit historiogràfic dins l'estudi general de l'escultura catalana. Una de les aportació és la d´intentar obrir i donar a conèixer el ventall de l'obra escultòrica i la biografia de Josep Granyer fins ara fragmentària. Aquesta recerca és un apropament des de l'òptica d'una historiadora però també d'una escultora. / This investigation has the aim of studying the sculptural work from Josep Granyer Giralt (1899-1983). We’ve worked in two lines: remake the artistic and vital trajectory of the artist from Barcelona and to make the reasonable catalogue from the sculptural work. In this sense, the investigation allowed us to go through and to go along a period from our history (from the Catalan art from XX century) and to recuperate a space in the historiography in an aspect as the one of the sculpture. The thesis is divided in three blocks: The vital trajectory from Josep Granyer, the artist work and the reasonable catalogue which adjusts the third part of the study. The first objective has been the creation of a catalogue with an inventory from more than three hundred sculpture pieces. The path for all this group of works, has not only showed us the artistic evolution from his creator, but has also proportioned a global vision of the production’s dimension and a base to build the monograph. Josep Granyer follows a singular and suggesting way, with a trajectory that is oft irregular without a continue evolution which goes along for diverging territories. We noted here another of his contributions of the artist from Barcelona, his facet as illustrator, engraver and drawer, which he assemblages with the sculpture. This study has the proposal to full a historiographical empty space in the general study of the Catalan sculpture. One of its contributions is to try to open and to give to know the range of the sculptural work and the biography of Josep Granyer fragmentary until now. This research is an approach from the optical of a historian who is also a sculptress.

Cette recherche se propose d’aborder la façon dont les créatrices oeuvrent dans le champ de la sculpture depuis 1950. Quelle que soit la multiplicité des voies plastiques qu’elles ont choisies d’explorer, et des productions sculptées auxquelles elles ont donné naissance, il s’agit de saisir la teneur de la rencontre entre l’œuvre conçue par une femme sculpteur, et le regard extérieur. Cette rencontre marque la confrontation de deux mondes, celui de l’observateur, aux prises avec ses perceptions, offrant une interprétation et une lecture souvent orientée de la création, et celui de la femme qui sculpte, dont la forme édifiée est soumise aux jugements. Les décalages, voire même les incompréhensions générées par ces mises en perspective des œuvres sculpturales élaborées par des femmes aux yeux de l’extérieur, conduisent à s’interroger plus profondément sur le cheminement artistique, plastique et intellectuel des créatrices dans le champ de la sculpture. Quels sont les éléments matériels et symboliques qui les guident dans l’expérimentation de ce domaine plastique ? A quelles sources puisent-elles leur inspiration ? Que souhaitent-elles exprimer à travers leurs alternatives artistiques ? S’il est difficile de répondre à ces questionnements, ils permettent de pénétrer au cœur de la création, et notamment d’entrevoir ses processus. Bien que les sentiers artistiques parcourus par les femmes sculpteurs soient pluriels, il semble pourtant que certaines d’entre elles se sont particulièrement attachées à développer plus qu’un mode d’expression plastique, un langage, afin de dévoiler les vérités qui les habitent. Ce langage, dont elles connaissent les arcanes, repose sur la mise en forme de la matière textile, essentiellement à partir de deux principes constructeurs : le fil et l’aiguille. Au-delà d’une approche purement matériel, les femmes sculpteurs entrent en lien avec un territoire imaginaire, déployé dans les récits mythologiques sur le thème du tissage et les personnages qu’ils mettent en scène, tels Arachné, Pénélope, Clotho ou encore Atropos. Dans ces dimensions entrecroisées, mêlant l’intensité du travail créateur à partir du textile et le contact avec un univers symbolique, le tissage, les créatrices tracent un des chemins signifiants qu’elles empruntent dans le champ de la sculpture depuis 1950. / This research addresses the ways in which female artists have been working in the field of sculpture since 1950. Irrespective of the medium of expression they have chosen to explore, and of the works they have given rise to, the aim here is to understand the meeting between a work of art conceived by a female sculptor and the way in which it is viewed externally. This meeting marks the confrontation of two worlds: that of the observer − subject to his or her own perceptions and offering an often slanted interpretation and reading of the work − and that of the sculptress whose constructed work is subjected to judgement. The differences, and even misunderstandings, caused by these perspectives on sculptural works by women viewed externally lead to a deeper questioning of the artistic, material and intellectual routes followed by creative females in the area of sculpture. What are the material and symbolic elements that guide their searches in this art form? What are their sources of inspiration? What are they seeking to express via their artistic alternatives? Answering these questions may be difficult, but it can lead to the core of creation and, notably, to a perception of its processes. Although female sculptors have followed numerous paths, it nonetheless appears certain that some of them have striven to develop, over and above a physical mode of expression, a language that will reveal the truths within them. The expression of this language, of which they know the mysteries, is based on giving form to textile materials, using two principles of construction: needle and thread. Beyond a purely material approach, female sculptors come into contact with an imaginary territory of mythical tales that surround weaving, and the characters that people those tales such as Arachne, Penelope, Clotho or Atropos. In these inter-linked dimensions, where the intensity of working creatively with textiles melds with the contact with a world of symbols, weaving, creative women are continuing to trace out one of the significant paths they have been following in sculpture since 1950.

M.A. (Art History) / The sculpture of the mature artist Edoardo Villa is characterised by sequences of apparently contrasting phases. Analysis reveals that formal ideas from earlier periods are freely combined in new variations. Formal ideas unfold and are brought to fruition in a continuous development. Form, however, can never be analysed without considering its meaning. Previous writers on the sculpture of Edoardo Villa have, at various stages, identified most of its typical formal characteristics and indicated the meanings of specific phases. This thesis sets out to study, systematically and chronologically, Villa's whole oeuvre up to 1979. The evolution of his formal language, and the concomitant shifts of emphasis in meaning can be traced. Accordingly the sculptures seem to fall roughly into eleven groups. The first chapter examines Villa's formative years in a classical Italian Humanist context, albeit in the Fascist period, and then his early years in South Africa (c. 1935-1957). From 1947 rapid changes occurred, both in form and meaning. ·A simplification of organic or geometric shapes gave way to abstract sculptures, made possible in part by adopting the technique of welding metal instead of modelling. Changes in meaning ~ere inevitable: in Italy commissions called for heroes and angels; during the war years traditional themes sought to convey the sentiments of a war-torn generation. The female archetype followed, to be replaced by universal forms of human or animal torsos. Conventional meanings disappeared from the abstract structures, which are intuitive images of his new ambience. The second chapter examines· the years 1958 to 1970 during which Villa mastered metal in the creation of primarily vertical structures. However, modelling recurred at intervals, and a reciprocal influence between the two media took . place. For a time Villa's abstract works illustrate what van Peursen calls the functional nature of 20th century culture. Then Villa returns to figurative themes, creating archetypes in an expression of the mythological aspect of human consciousness, and showing similarities with African tribal art. Subsequently he arrived at images of an ontological nature, with less emphasis on the interrelationship of objects and a greater emphasis on the individual. By 1968 the linear, vertical and often frontal compositions were superseded by more massive horizontal and asymmetrical groups. The sculptures of the seventies are examined in the third chapter. Sign-like emblems of human groups were created with pipes. Bright colour became integral to Villa's formal language in non-figurative constructions. Vertical compositions were more open, and less symmetrical. Groups suggesting human figures reaffirmed Villa's main preoccupation. He seemed increasingly to express the moods of his time: massive, ebullient forms in a materially confident society; tensions of balanced line in a society under the stress of evolution. Forms opened up further, textures became rougher, colours more earthy. By the end of the decade figuration was emphasized; the symbol returned. In the cyclic flow of Edoardo Villa's development, -he balanced the formal constraints of apparently contradictory qualities: organic and geometric, open and closed, vertical and horizontal, mass and movement. At various intervals Villa embodied signs, images, and symbols, expressing the functional stage of 20th century human consciousness, which encompasses both the mythological and ontological phases of its historic development.

M.A. (Art History) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Sculptor Eric McGehearty incorporates dyslexia, a learning disability, into his artwork to express his challenges with his limited ability to recognize and understand the written word. The film Access Denied focuses on Eric and his disability. Recognized in 1896, dyslexia has been studied and researched by scientists and educators. New assistive technology is now available to aid dyslexics in reading and writing. Specialized schools provide techniques to improve student learning. However, some options are not readily available to the general public; therefore, information about how to deal with the disability is not easily accessed. The aims of this documentary are to raise awareness of available resources to assist with learning as well as to demonstrate a relationship between art and dyslexia.

History of Art Masters of Art by Course Work and Research Report / No abstract

This dissertation considers the creativity of Michael Zondi as one of South Africa’s so-called pioneer artists and the manner in which he used his art to contribute and create modernity. His creative skills initially locate him outside the classical designations of any one artistic discipline. From cabinet-making and building construction, which included an engagement as an architect and interior designer, ultimately Zondi became the proficient originator of a comparatively very large body of work in three-dimensional figurative wood sculpture. This study is largely confined to the latter body of work. The wood sculptor is located within the ambit of the black intelligentsia who, with their western mission education, was seeking to define and shape African modernity for themselves beyond descriptions mired in Eurocentric expression. Zondi’s early work emerged from crafting skills in woodwork, with thematic narratives that reflect regional sourcing among the amaZulu. Conceptually these represent a continuity of the creative practice of the generation before his own, particularly that of the black literary elite, who inspired him. He drew on the humanist values of the African communalism in which he was nurtured. As an ikholwa, he further drew on his Christian faith for guidance, using biblical inspiration for a few of his figurative works of art. Apart from participation in various group exhibitions from the early 1960s, unusual exhibition opportunities included two solo exhibitions, in 1965 and 1974, and an exhibition of his work in a group show in Paris, in 1977, which he attended personally. In the South African environment of black disempowerment and marginalization he secured his position outside party-political activism by using his art as his voice, especially among white patrons. As he found predominantly private patronage for his expressive human portraits, his philosophical exchange with enlightened friends, especially the medical practitioner Dr. Wolfgang Bodenstein, became the backdrop for his creative experience. Sensitive mentorship and informal tuition by white patrons provided Zondi with some knowledge of European modernist art. Drawing on it as an inspirational resource, the artist made discerning selections from this aesthetic in order to develop his own personal style. At the same time he ensured that his art remained accessible for a broad audience that included the rural people of his home environment, who were the source of his inspiration. Zondi’s thematic move beyond the confines of his Zuluness was the decisive factor which enabled the artist to engage in a very personal reconciliatory quest with white South Africans across the racial divide. In an endeavour which spanned the four decades of his active career as a sculptor, his self-representation through art was simultaneously an immersion in the human condition which became the expression of a shared humanity. By becoming the facilitator of reciprocity between people, it stood in defiance of the long-canonized fetish of race and segregation. By proffering his art as a means of communication, it thereby became an original and formative tool in shaping African modernity. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.