I have examined the relationship between the art institution and its social base, and the way in which legitimacy is sought and maintained under changing social circumstances. The social pattern of 'avante garde artist' vs. 'philistine public' has tended to be the context within which 20th century art has developed. The consequent disjuncture between the public art institution and its social base was subsequently accepted as the natural condition of Fine Art production. During the 1980's, two significant factors were to influence this 'natural' condition: i) The demise of 'modernism' internationally, ' which broadened the scope of allowable objects for consideration as Fine Art. ii) Political mobilisation in South Africa was accompanied by calls for democratisation and charges of 'elitism' being levelled against many public institutions. These factors have combined to make the S.A. art institutions (public galleries, tertiary teaching institutions and national art competitions) re-assess their legitimacy, particularly in terms of 'accountability' and 'representativeness' . A close examination of these two factors is essential if one is to gain insight into the current condition of the public art institutions. This research is an attempt to understand the history and the current nature of the shifting relationship between the art institutions and the 'public' in South Africa. A further goal is to assess the extent to which concepts that are valid within the realm of the polity can be transposed into the cultural realm: A tendency prevalent within the cultural debate in South Africa during the 1980's. The emphasis of this mini thesis is on the artworld's perception of its social role. I therefore look at the way changing attitudes are reflected in the statements and writing of leading figures within this sector. The method is to critically analyse texts that pertain to my chosen area of research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:2456 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Becker, Carl |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MFA |
| Format | 79 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Becker, Carl |
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