A particular literary genre, the exhibition review, forms the subject of this dissertation. It represents one facet of a discourse which began to develop in Britain during the latter years of the eighteenth century. Art historians have become increasingly interested in such criticism, but have usually treated it, not as an historical phenomenon which in itself deserves a full investigation, but as a pool of evidence from which to draw remarks concerning individual artists or works of art It is argued that such a one-dimensional approach is unsatisfactory, but that in attempting to go beyond it, the methodological problems posed by this primary source need to be considered. It is stressed that the building up of a basic corpus of knowledge is very important, and an inventory of identified critics is presented in order to assist this. Some observations on the careers of these critics are given. The exhibition reviews published in two contrasting periodicals, the Sun and The Examiner, form the subjects of case studies. The latter are known to have been penned by Robert Hunt and present no problems of attribution. The former are ascribed to John Taylor and the supporting evidence is put forward. The reviews are compared and it is shown how they differed according to their published contexts, and according to the idiosyncracies of their authors. It is suggested that in spite of these differences, a shared critical idiom was a strong force which led reviewers to make many similar comments. This idiom and the precedents which determined its nature are examined. The ways in which it at once harboured and yet disguised certain ideologies are demonstrated. Evidence which helps to place reviews into a more rounded picture of the past is given in conclusion, including statements which show that contemporaries perceived the press as an important influence on the development of taste.

During the transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, a sea change took place in the British art world that reflected a general shift in attitude towards the arts. Artists redefined their social status and fought for their criteria to be taken into account, acquiring a new, influential position within the artistic circles, in which the authority of theorists and connoisseurs, amateurs whose approach to the work of art was that of the collector and critic, never the creator, had been so far undisputed. Influenced by new social theories and powerful contemporary cultural movements, and motivated by the success of artists like Hogarth and Reynolds and of the Royal Academy, artists felt encouraged to stand up for and secure their artistic authority. Thus, the increasingly widespread interest in art and aesthetics throughout the eighteenth century culminated in the realisation, on the artists' part, of their importance in such matters; subsequently, the long-debated issue of the dignity of the artist was brought to the forefront and became key in the artistic discourse of turn-of-the-century Britain. We can trace the evolution of the discourse on the authority of artists from Reynolds's idea that a painter can be a gentleman despite being a painter, to Ruskin's humble acceptance, in the prologue to the first volume of Modern Painters, of the necessity to have a practical knowledge of art in order to understand it. It was a veritable revolution in art theory, a 'second renaissance' for the figure of the artist, who until then had been considered a mere craftsman. A whole tradition was being challenged, and the new language artists employed to advance their ideas was not that of theory, but practice.

This thesis aims to facilitate a broader understanding of post-revolutionary Iranian filmmaking, by way of an analysis of the New Iranian Cinema and Iranian cinema in exile and diaspora, and the various relationships between these two cinemas. Thus far no significant attempt has been made to consider these two cinemas in relation to each other. This thesis therefore represents a significant contribution to this line of research. Along the way it addresses several key concepts of long-standing importance in film studies, such as notions of art cinema, authorship and national cinema, in particular how such concepts have been used as a means of studying the New Iranian Cinema. Exilic and diasporic Iranian filmmaking represents a challenge to traditional understandings of these concepts. The first chapter therefore examines how the New Iranian Cinema has been received and constructed as an archetypal 'art cinema' in Europe and North America, in addition to how this cinema invites, at the same time as it resists, such interpretations. Thereafter follows a consideration of Iranian emigre filmmaking across Europe and North America, and how it has changed over the past thirty years, gradually shifting from an exclusively exilic to a pan-diasporic outlook. Chapters three and four are individual case studies of Iranian emigre filmmakers Amir Naderi and Sohrab Shahid Saless respectively. As two of Iran's most important and influential pre-revolutionary filmmakers, the works of Naderi and Saless represent not only interesting divergences from the evolutionary understanding of Iranian emigre cinema outlined in the second chapter, but also form two of the most compelling links between the New Iranian Cinema, and it exilic and diasporic counterpart. This thesis concludes by arguing for a more flexible and open-ended conception of national cinema more generally, as well as more comprehensive, nuanced and deterritorialised understanding of post-revolutionary Iranian filmmaking.

This thesis provides a re-reading of the development of twentieth-century dance, focusing on the choreographic work and creative processes of Mary Wigman, Martha Graham, and Pina Bausch. Using these individuals as markers of three distinct temporal stages of contemporary dance, I argue that avant-garde dance practice throughout the twentieth-century was irrevocably associated with, and influenced by, the aesthetics and ritual practices of non-Western cultures. Instead of charting a chronological structure, I have used a thematic framework based on the concept of ritual performance, beginning with fertility rites (as espoused by different choreographies of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring), before moving on to explore masking devices, conceptions of national and cultural identity, and mourning and commemoration. Through a series of individual case study analyses, this thesis maps the impact of inter-cultural exchange on the development of non-classical dance. I posit that, as modern dance emerged and evolved throughout the twentieth-century, practitioners consistently drew strong influence from cross-cultural aesthetics; I focus specifically on links between Western (represented by Germany and the United States) and non-Western (including Japanese and Native American) performance. Using evidence drawn from primary source material, including original film footage, photography and personal effects, I construct separate analyses of commonalities in the work of Wigman, Graham, and Bausch, arguing that the ritualistic themes of their work can be viewed as a pattern for the development of contemporary dance more broadly. My research identifies previously unexplored sources of influence upon these artists. This thesis presents a re-evaluation of established discourse by focusing on a foreign influence that has not been identified in current research as a common thread linking these three artists; while connections have been established between German and American early modern dance, the reciprocal influence of Western practice on Far Eastern performance is comparatively uncharted territory. In the second half of this thesis, I outline the response to this cross-cultural dialogue, focusing on the postmodern artistic practice of groups in Japan, Austria and Germany. Accordingly, this thesis deconstructs the notion of cultural isolation, arguing instead that, as a logical outcome of this inter-cultural exchange, dance in the postmodern era is informed by a legacy of universalised, ritualistic practice.

This thesis sheds new light on the origins and significance of ‘compositional inversion’ in sixteenth-century Netherlandish art. Taking Pieter Bruegel’s inverted religious narratives as primary examples of a wider phenomenon, it seeks to account for the seemingly paradoxical method of narrative obfuscation evident in these works. It does so by situating them in art theoretical, iconographic, social, political and spiritual contexts. Chapter 1 turns to the art theories of Karel van Mander, contained in the first book of Het Schilder-Boeck (1604): ‘Den Grondt … ’. Here I suggest that Bruegel’s inverted compositions exemplify an entire tradition in Netherlandish history painting – the ‘historien’ – that van Mander retroactively theorised in ‘Den Grondt’. According to his theoretical position, Netherlandish inverted ‘historien’ derive their efficacy precisely because they obscure narrative, for by doing so they ‘entangle’ the beholder’s ‘insatiable eyes’ and so encourage sustained interest in the story. Chapter 2 then examines the visual tradition in Netherlandish art that inspired Bruegel’s inverted narratives, and concludes that these works possess a distinctive formal ‘Netherlandishness’ and as such they offer fertile territory for examining Bruegel’s “vernacularity”. Finally, in Chapter 3, I argue that compositional inversion evolved as a visual counterpart to contemporary biblical exegeses, specifically Erasmus’s.

This study aims to seek trainee Educational Psychologists’ (EPs) views about their experiences of using Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) to support the development of consultation and peer supervision skills. VERP is a new pedagogical approach. Limited research has focused on professionals’ experiences of using VERP, alongside exploring the supervisors’ views regarding VERP. Trainee EPs’ are studying a doctoral training course to become qualified EPs. Participants engaged in three cycles of VERP reflecting upon their practice, using video clips of themselves. An action research design was implemented and views from trainee EPs’ and the Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) supervisor were sought, using semi-structured interviews. A form of thematic analysis was used in order to analyse the data. Findings suggest that VERP was generally a positive experience for trainees and their experiences highlighted the impact of observing themselves in practice, as oppose to retrospective reflection. Trainee EPs’ acknowledged factors to consider within a ‘shared review’, their experiences of being filmed and using technology: the strengths and the challenges of which are considered. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature surrounding VERP and the potential limitations are also considered, whilst highlighting implications for educational psychology professional practice and research.

This study explores the possibilities of incorporating Bharathanatyam into the Roman Catholic Holy Mass in South India to enhance the liturgy. This thesis argues from the stand point of theology of inculturation, Pope’s encyclicals and Vatican I and II documents on culture, liturgy and the Church. It also looks into the history of the use of dance in the liturgy. A study is undertaken on Bharathanatyam to show that this is one of the Indian indigenous art forms with appropriate dance techniques to interpret the Gospel and the related messages effectively and creatively. The theology of dance discussed in this thesis forms the base for liturgical dance. This will help the congregation for active participation, to celebrate the Holy Mass more meaningfully and to make it relevant to their context. This thesis answers many questions in regard to liturgical dance. During the research, it is found that when the culture is integrated into the liturgy, it is not only the liturgy that can transform the culture but the culture can also transform the liturgy. The incorporation of Bharathanatyam in the Holy Mass can bring transformation in the local communities by bridging the gaps between the religious communities, caste identities and gender.

During the course of the Parliamentary debates about Catholic emancipation in 1829, around 120 original, single sheet prints were published in London on the topic of Catholic Relief, at which point it was almost the sole subject of visual satire. This was the first time in living memory that a debate around toleration and the relationship between temporal and spiritual authority had been conducted on such a wide reaching scale. On 3 February 1829 the King, George IV, the head of the Anglican Church, had introduced Roman Catholic Relief in his speech for the opening of the 1829 Parliamentary session. By 13 April 1829 an Act to grant Roman Catholics civil liberty was given Royal Assent, revoking laws that prevented non-Anglicans from holding public office. This had followed four failed attempts to introduce Catholic Relief in the 1820s which had also prompted satirical image making, but never on the same scale. This thesis analyses for the first time the extensive body of prints produced in 1821-9 that relate to debates around Relief and addresses the questions: why were images produced, why were they predominately single sheet etchings, and who was so interested in Catholic emancipation as to be buying them in such quantities?

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This thesis documents a research and art project that explores the creative value of using constraints in film. The starting point is the Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle (Oulipo), the Potential Workshop of Literature, whose members explore the Potential of Literature by writing with constraints, and the films of the early twentieth century avant-garde, which demonstrate the promise of experimentalism in cinema. From these points of inspiration, the idea of using constraints to explore the potential of a field is transferred to film. As the practice of filmmaking with constraints is yet to be fully formalised and currently lacks substantial academic recognition, this thesis presents a theorisation of constraint filmmaking as a creative practice that cuts across cinematic genres and already established areas of filmmaking practice – those of short, feature, and documentary film. The cinematic work emerging from the Ouvroir de Videographie Potentielle (Ouvipo), the Potential Workshop of Video, and the movement of Dogme 95, are shown to be influential in the theorisation of constraint filmmaking practice, and several other examples of constraint films across cinema will be addressed to show how the use of constraints can enhance a filmmaker’s creativity. The thesis is accompanied by three constraint films: Project Cube, A Day in your Life, and Tales and Tellers, which were made in adherence to the stages of the constraint filmmaking process. Project Cube is an exploration of mathematically inspired constraints and is grounded in the idea of permutation. Twelve shots are used to create several different films, with their order being determined by the rolling of dice. A Day in Your Life focuses on the interplay between linguistic constraints and their visual counterparts, reality and fiction, and past and present. Tales and Tellers is a project that shows the power of images, as fairy tales from participants are illustrated in moving images, using constraints to create these pictures. These short films demonstrate both my theorisation of constraint filmmaking as a practice that can be adopted by other artists also, and my journey from Potential Literature to Potential Film.