Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The music-painting analogy had a pervasive influence on American early modernist art criticism, theory, and painting. Music became an aesthetic model and a theme in painting, and, for some artists and critics, music, particularly jazz and "noise music," expressed the energy of modern America. This dissertation addresses these aspects of the music-painting analogy, using Arthur G. Dove, John Marin, and Joseph Stella as case studies. / 2031-01-01

The new “Joker” movie, directed by Todd Phillips, was released in 2019 and brought a range of fervent and controversial discussion both in critics and audiences. Nevertheless, the “Joker” persona is tightly associated with comics and the superhero movie genre, and usually depicted in a particular way. However, the new movie differs in vital points. This study aims to explore the differences that lie between the “Joker”, and his depiction in the superhero genre. In order to investigate this inquiry, we conducted an exploratory research, and used latent content analysis. From our results, we extrapolate that the new movie constructs a more humane and approachable image of the “Joker”, as opposed to the “nameless” and “cold-blooded” villain. Simultaneously, we concluded that the movie adopts a more realistic and less entertaining approach towards violence, a prominent characteristic in superhero movies

This essay contains a comparative study between the works of the two archeologists Arthur Evans and Nanno Marinatos. The comparison focuses on academic publishments concerning minoan religion in bronze age Crete, Greece. The theoretical framework of this study is historical awareness, and whether or not the works of these two archeologists is compatible with the different principles which has been established for a historian to work correctly within the academic sphere. The study shows that there are both differences and similarities between the works written by Evans and Marinatos concerning minoan religion. The similarities is mainly explained by the archeological artifacts and remains found from bronze age Crete that undeniably exists, but the differences appears when the archeologists analyze said artifacts. This study shows that Evans archeological and analytical works was not in line with the theoretical framework of historical awareness. Marinatos on the other hand provides writings that are in line with historical awareness and her analysis is compatible with the different principles which has been established within the theory.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo determinar los alcances y las limitaciones de la filosofía del arte de Arthur Danto al momento de explicar la ontología artística de los objetos ancestrales no occidentales, con el propósito de evaluar si es que esta es relevante para el entendimiento de una posible ontología artística de los objetos de la América Ancestral. Inicialmente, se parte de la hipótesis de que la propuesta de Danto podría sugerir ciertos recursos teóricos para llevar esto a cabo, sin embargo, no será lo suficientemente contundente. Así, la investigación se divide en dos capítulos. En un primer capítulo, se examinan los conceptos fundamentales de la filosofía del arte de Arthur Danto según lo expuesto por el filósofo en su obra La transfiguración del lugar común. Los conceptos que se examinan en esta sección son: el problema de los homólogos indiscernibles; la cualidad de representación-expresión en las obras de arte y, finalmente, la interpretación de las mismas. En el segundo capítulo, se examinan los conceptos expuestos en la obra de Arthur Danto titulada Arte y artefacto en África, analizando la manera en la que se plantean las cuestiones desarrolladas en el capítulo anterior respecto de la ontología del arte propuesta en La transfiguración del lugar común. Así, se realiza un análisis crítico de la manera en la que Danto aborda el tema de los homólogos indiscernibles, la cualidad de representación-expresión en las obras de arte y la interpretación de las mismas en el contexto del arte ancestral no occidental. La investigación concluye que los recursos utilizados por Danto para probar la ontología artística de los objetos ancestrales no occidentales (y, con ello, la posibilidad de un arte de la América Ancestral) son insuficientes, pues, a pesar de sus pretensiones de universalidad recaen en el eurocentrismo.

The operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, is a classic work by Gilbert and Sullivan, a work that continues to be produced frequently despite its Victorian setting and operatic style. For many years the standard performance style of all the operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan was upheld by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, who attempted to perform the operettas as they had originally been done. Though the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company helped stimulate interest in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, nontraditional productions of G & S operettas produced outside of the company were able to reach larger audiences. When The Pirates of Penzance was produced on Broadway in the 1980's, it was enormously successful. Under the direction of Wilford Leach, the production was more accessible to audiences through its pop-oriented orchestrations, Broadway-style choreography, and cast of rock stars and well-known actors. This significant change in the way The Pirates of Penzance was performed inspired several other major productions of the operetta in that style and has now become the standard interpretation of the piece. It is due to these productions that The Pirates of Penzance continues to be produced and remain culturally relevant. It is interesting to note that, while the performance style of Pirates has changed significantly over the years, the role of Mabel has remained largely unchanged. In that regard, the role of Mabel continues to fulfill the goals and tradition of D'Oyly Carte while The Pirates of Penzance has evolved from an old-fashioned operetta to a popular musical theatre piece.

This study examines whether and how art, through its capacity for transformation, can promote empathy, provide insight into built-in prejudices and open up for new perspectives. The thesis analyzes three works of art: the film Love is the Message, the Message is Death, by Arthur Jafa, Go Gone, a textile sculpture group by Moa Israelsson and Modern sovande, a painting by Åke Göransson. In order to broaden the research material, in addition to the artworks, three projects at three different art institutions are examined, all of which treat empathy and art in different ways. These are: Center for Empathy and Visual Art (CEVA) at the Minneapolis Art Institute, Civic Wellness program, Art Institute of Chicago and In the mirror of the wonder of Luca Giordano, Art Perception, Florence. The study's theoretical framework is based on affect theory and empathy theory in aesthetics. The thesis applies an affect-based model as a method for the analysis of the works of art; the examination of the projects takes place through a description of each project's structure, implementation and outcome. This is presented through a schedule for each project. Main questions are: Can art of various kinds, by virtue of its own being, open up new perspectives, make prejudice visible and lead to the promotion of empathy? Can artists, curators and institutions such as museums, create a method to channel the ability of art? Can the thoughts a work of art includes and which take shape and permanence in the public space, lead to action? The study is based on, among other things, Gilles Deleuze’s thoughts about art's ability to release forces that are not themselves visible, as well as in Gustav Jørgen Pedersen's ideas about pictorial thinking – the paradox of wanting to paint what cannot be seen. Jill Bennett's ideas about exhibitions that function as affectively charged spaces, that is, the affective intensities released in the work of art are social and not something intrinsic and private, are also relevant to the study's reasoning. The study shows how the artist's ability to bring out a bodily dimension, a sense of presence – the ability to paint what cannot be seen– is crucial to what the work of art itself can do. The study also shows that it is fruitful to try to create environments through exhibitions, affective charged spaces, where the intention is to try to lead the visitors' attention towards a targeted goal.

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