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Visual symbols of Christianity are the topic of this research. An analysis of the function, form, and meaning of a selected group of visual symbols was conducted for three periods of Christian history: Early, Medieval and Contemporary The hypothesis being tested is that the meanings and forms of the symbols have remained relatively unchanged through time, while the function of visual symbols during each of. these periods was determined by the cultural milieu. The data was collected from three sources: (1) the archaeological record for the Early period; (2) existing documentary records for the Medieval period, and (3) from interviews with contemporary clergy.This study has clearly demonstrated that through time the cultural milieu has determined the function of the symbols and the position of the church in society, but it has had little or no affect on their form and meaning. It has also demonstrated that the previous cultural milieu affects the coming cultural milieu.

This creative project has explored the combining of multiple paintings and multiple nodes of painting into a coherent and unified whole, directed toward a more complete and truer representation of man, especially the “born again” man. This study employed the unifying and transitional characteristics of various modes of painting, together with a structural format of a three-paneled, folding triptych, with the intent of enlightenment in the area of spiritual “oneness.” This study centered on Jesus Christ as the entrance to spiritual “oneness,” (more appropriately identified as The Kingdom of God, or being born again) and primarily by way of symbolism and the juxtaposition of ideas, modes of painting, and painted panels, sought to reveal that truth.

This thesis explores the poetics of the Greek Post-Symbolists, a group of early twentieth-century poets whose main period of activity falls in the years between the Generation of the 1880s and that of the 1930s. By focussing on Post-Symbolist concepts of the role of poetry and on the way in which Post-Symbolist poems are constructed, this thesis examines the poetic system of a group of poets who occupy a transitional period in the history of Modern Greek literature. The Post-Symbolists question both the nationalism of poets of the Generation of the 1880s and their own place in society. Post-Symbolist poetry focuses on themes related to the interior landscape of the individual. It promotes negation and absence, de-emphasizes external reality, foregrounding a poetic reality created through the acoustic links between words, and it undermines the importance previously attached to metre and rhythm in poetry. In this way Post-Symbolist poetic language constitutes a reaction against the dominant poetic discourse of the time, and a turning-point in twentieth-century Greek poetry. This thesis explores both the internal structure of Post-Symbolist poetry and the relationship between Post-Symbolism on the one hand and the discourses of the Generation of the 1880s and of the Generation of the 1930s on the other, placing this in the historical, socio-political and ideological context of time.

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This thesis examines issues of female power and influence in sixteenth-century China focusing on how women and their roles were perceived in the changing social environment of the mid-late Ming dynasty. Using aspects of a New Historicist approach, information from contemporary literary and historical sources are analysed alongside each other. With its emphasis on the lives of women and preoccupation with the description of material objects, the late Ming novel Jin Ping Mei forms an important element in the thesis. China in the sixteenth century saw expanding urbanisation, the emergence of a new wealthy merchant class, increasing visibility of women and a questioning of traditional morality. Fashion consciousness, as one of the most conspicuous aspects of the new material culture, is a possible indicator of these trends. Traditional Western theories contend that fashion began in the particular context of Renaissance Europe. However, this study argues that a similar fashion awareness existed in China too, and was manifested in a competitive striving for social status, in this case specifically among women. In contrast to previous studies which downplayed the impact women had on defining traditional Chinese culture, this thesis demonstrates how women and their sartorial choices began to redefine the boundaries of material culture, influencing literati discourse which, in turn, re- influenced female behaviour.

This thesis examines the symbolic use of space in the trilogy of Giorgio Bassani: Gli occhiali d'oro, Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini and Dietro la porta. / All written in the first person, the novels are part of a continuum since in each one the same narrator remembers a different event from his past. All three novels recreate events which took place prior to the Second World War; two make direct reference to the grueling period of antisemitism under the Fascist regime. / Through the spatial element we analyze the moral and psychological states of the various characters, in particular of the young Jewish protagonist who is suddenly a social outcast due to the racial persecutions. Furthermore, space in these novels reflects the emotional state of the most important character of the trilogy, the narrator, who still, after many years shows signs of unresolved issues.

"This project is concerned with a visual exploration of the land of the Western Plains of Victoria and the nature of "the sacred" in that landscape. Specifically, I have explored these ideas through the medium of painting and works on paper. The studio practice has been informed both by my personal experiencs of this geographic region and by research into the histories associated with white settlement and the subsequent forms of erasue of aboriginal presence." / Master of Arts- (Visual Arts)

Taking as its starting point the anti-monumental stance of much Post-minimalist sculpture, my research investigates alternative paradigms for sculptural practice, drawing on the decorative traditions of provisional and temporary objects made for ceremonies and celebrations (including bunting, balloons, tablecloths, banners etc.) / In order to find a way of creating sculptural works that are formally flexible and mutable, but that also connect with the symbolism emanating from such vernacular celebrations; I have turned to studying objects that are separate to, yet which 'surround', those located within the 'fine art' sculptural tradition. The pageant, feast, religious occasion and personal celebration are examples of symbolic events which necessitate the manufacture of decorations, costumes and props. Often these objects are ephemeral, in being made from materials such as flowers, textiles, or food, and are meant to be discarded or consumed. Sometimes they have a cyclical or 'seasonal' aspect - in terms of their temporality - in being able to be repeatedly used and then packed away. The characteristics of such deployment, and the emphasis on the manner in which these objects transform an environment tie them to many key aspects within both modernist and postmodernist visual art practice (whether within Minimalism, Arte Povera, for Neo-concretism). / Special occasions have a shared symbolic language that is intimately understood by most people across a wide diversity of cultures; while in requiring the production of objects as 'accessories', decorations or props, they also share many basic elements of what might be called a 'formal vocabulary' or language. / This research focuses on the formal conventions and structures of the material culture of special occasions; the sculptural language of the streamer, pageant float, tinsel, birthday cake, and balloon. With the 'expansion of the sculptural field' and the loss of confidence in the signifying capacity of the tradition of the monumental within public art, artists have increasingly turned to exploring other forms and types of symbolic language, as a way of engaging anew with communal commemoration and celebration - whether on large or domestic scale (illustrated ephemeral, performative and domestic materials and processes in contemporary art. / Also of interest is the tradition of display and spectacle inherent in protest marches and rallies. Very often the formal elements of trade union parades, suffragette marches and mass demonstrations utilise a similar formal language to parties and pageants. The ability of such festive structures to carry and even advance an ideological cause is intriguing, and provides a point from which to begin to speculate on how 'personal ideologies', obsessions, and intense psychological and emotional affects might be drawn upon to create a visual language (or formal system) that can operate in non-literal, highly associative ways - whilst providing a meaningful point of reference for viewers. / A selection of artists included in this research: Thomas Hirschhorn, Eva Hesse, Robert Morris, Matthew Barney, Jeff Koons, Helio Oticica, Polly Apfelbaum, Lygia Clark and Tracy Emin. / The research has been conducted within several overlapping fields - art history, contemporary cultural theory, visual art practice and literature, and cultural anthropology - which have provided useful points of critical reference, source material and interpretive paradigms. Nevertheless, the focus has been upon 'special occasion objects' within the western tradition (with Australia viewed as a post-colonial European nation), with particular reference to positions within the Minimalist and Post-minimalist contemporary visual art practice. / This research utilises an Action Research methodology which provides a useful paradigm for understanding and developing the relation between artistic experimentation and production, critical analysis and personal reflection characteristic of studio-based research. The thesis will take the form of an exhibition of art work and an accompanying ten thousand work exegesis. / Thesis (MVisualArts)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, 1989. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves 123-126.