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Impermanence in art : Exploring Its Role Through Jackson Pollock,  Anicka Yi, and Street Art

Impermanence concerns every aspect of our lives, yet it goes unseen often for that same reason. In my dissertation, I wish to explain what impermanence is and delve into the role of impermanence in art. I will first dive into an explanation of what impermanence is, starting from the teaching of the Buddha, then introducing impermanence as a primary quality, highlighting its distinction from the manifestation or secondary qualities, e.g. change, movement, ageing. I will then investigate three examples of how impermanence can be utilised in art. The first case is the representation of impermanence in Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings, for which I argue that what makes it possible is the inherently unstable appearance of the pieces combined with the artist’s intention and other variables. The second case is that of Anicka Yi’s exploitation of impermanence as a medium for her installations, borrowing Sherri Irvin’s comprehensive definition of medium. I will explain how Yi uses impermanence inside her art, and how she employs the quality in the piece in an effort to achieve her purpose, that of communication. The third and last case concerns the acceptance of the impermanent nature of the medium in street art, which will be pivotal in the achievement of the goal of subversiveness.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-530976
Date January 2024
CreatorsCastillo Lino, Angela
PublisherUppsala universitet, Avdelningen för estetik
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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