Memento Vivere

: Remember to Live - Perspectives on Painting and Pills

Crynodeb

This thesis examines a dual aspect practice-led body of fine art research. The study merges a technical examination of methodologies in the discipline of oil painting, with a philosophical dialogue of the subject in the genre of still life. The objectives defined for the study were initiated upon the identification of emerging disparities between practices of modern oil painting and sought to bridge the gap in applied knowledge. The project assumes a psycho-aesthetic perspective with theoretical considerations, and aligns with the paradigm shifts in reference to the application and reception of the formal elements embedded in the history of art. The work coalesces an examination of the artist-subject relationship, modes of observation and variable levels of realist intent, through an empirically based thematic enquiry. This operates in parallel to a quantitative investigation focusing on the technical dimension of the discipline for the development of a methodological framework. The core foundations of the research are supported by the design of a conservationist style cataloguing system of painting report, for the effective documentation of experimental procedures. This facilitated a unique contribution of the research in developing systematic approaches to articulating what is essentially a phenomenological practice. It demonstrates a sensitivity to the interpretation of ‘felt’ experiences involved in paint handling, and as a descriptive contingent of visual alterations. The study presents the identification of cross-relating genres, as the subject demonstrates the potential to present as a dualistic quantity, residing in the classifications of both still life and portraiture. As a contribution to the scholarship of contemporary oil painting, the project endorses an inclusive, universal archetype built on tested collective modalities, applicable to all genres and adaptable as a multi-level curriculum. It has secured the foundation for future research and proposes collaboration between the wider affiliated art historical, curatorial, educational, and conservational fields.

Dyddiad Dyfarnu	2022
Iaith wreiddiol	Saesneg
Sefydliad Dyfarnu	Prifysgol Aberystwyth
Goruchwyliwr	John Harvey (Goruchwylydd), Julian Ruddock (Goruchwylydd) & June Patricia Forster (Goruchwylydd)