This thesis is formed from original research into the cultural impact of Modern Spiritualism in Scotland during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Until the twenty first century academic scholarship has failed to recognise the historic importance of the Spiritualist movement's widespread popularity and the influence it had on art during this period. The findings of this research provide a new understanding and greater appreciation of art from this time. As academic investigation into Spiritualism's historic significance is largely absent, this study focuses on primary sources from an extensive range of Spiritualist literature, including Spiritualist magazines and newspapers. The number of cited artworks, which were discovered and analysed during this research, support the notion that investigation into Spiritualism's influence during this period is necessary. This thesis is divided into two parts: Part One focuses on artworks by Spiritualists intended for Spiritualist audiences. Chapter 1 outlines a history of the Spiritualist movement in Scotland for the first time in order to establish a context for discussion in the following chapters. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 highlight unknown artworks by Spiritualists, such as Jane Stewart Smith and David Duguid, and analyse how those artists responded to private and public Spiritualism in Scotland. Part Two reveals new interpretations of mainstream Scottish art but which art historians have not previously acknowledged as having Spiritualist associations. In Chapter 5, case studies of members of the Royal Scottish Academy demonstrate that Spiritualism did influence mainstream Scottish artists, such as Alfred Edward Borthwick and George Henry Paulin. Chapter 6 reconsiders the Celtic Revival in Scotland, specifically by re-evaluating current interpretations of John Duncan's work with reference to Duncan's Spiritualism. The final chapter examines war memorials in Scotland as a response to mass social bereavement and Spiritualism's increased popularity during and after the First World War.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:693285 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Foot, Michelle Elizabeth |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=230582 |
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