Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2005

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Fine Arts

Committee Chair

Eckert, Mitch

Subject

Shades and shadows in art; Tintypes; Human figure in art

Abstract

This thesis is a combination of actual works of art in the tintype and video mediums and a written theoretical exploration of the theme of shadow in fairytales, myths and religious stories. The written portion begins with an overview of the central idea of transformation in both object and narrative in regards to the Jungian notion of the shadow. It also discusses the nature of the tintype process and its relation to storytelling in the context of the body of work. The written thesis continues with a narrative interpretation of the works of art and their role in the metamorphosis of story through audience interpretation. The first section begins with the notions of shadow and transformation. It describes the basic concept of the shadow self and applies that theory to the visual imagery in historical examples of stories. The next section is comprised of interpretations of individual works of art. This section encourages the view to further the interpretation through questioning the role the shadow plays in one's life. The final written section is the return to the more direct messages of the artwork and the concept of eternally changing interpretations of the world and that which we most fear. Through the transformative qualities of storytelling we can embrace what we fear and grow as humans. The last section of the thesis is images of the artwork for the viewer to interpret in relation to the written portion and the purely visual experience of the work itself. It is color digital reproductions of tintypes, a silver reversal photographic process, and digital video stills from a DVD installation.

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