The Essence of an Image: Image as Memory

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Description

Modernist painters such as Picasso, Ernst and Matisse were among others who incorporated what was then considered "primitive" art, mostly from Africa and Oceania, into their works. Prior to this, European artists had appropriated Greco-Roman themes and characters. These appropriated elements were consequently recreated without their cultural context and content, altered to reflect more current themes. In most cases, attention was directed toward the recreator, the author of the new work of art, not the creator of the artifact. In contrast, Post-Modern artists, including myself, have reproduced appropriated elements virtually unaltered as a way of denying authorship and emphasizing a … continued below

Creation Information

Rainey, David N. December 2000.

Context

This thesis is part of the collection entitled: UNT Graduate Student Works and was provided by the UNT Libraries to the UNT Digital Library, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. It has been viewed 119 times. More information about this thesis can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this thesis or its content.

Chair

Committee Members

Publisher

Rights Holder

For guidance see Citations, Rights, Re-Use.

  • Rainey, David N.

Provided By

UNT Libraries

The UNT Libraries serve the university and community by providing access to physical and online collections, fostering information literacy, supporting academic research, and much, much more.

Contact Us

What

Descriptive information to help identify this thesis. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Digital Library.

Degree Information

Description

Modernist painters such as Picasso, Ernst and Matisse were among others who incorporated what was then considered "primitive" art, mostly from Africa and Oceania, into their works. Prior to this, European artists had appropriated Greco-Roman themes and characters. These appropriated elements were consequently recreated without their cultural context and content, altered to reflect more current themes. In most cases, attention was directed toward the recreator, the author of the new work of art, not the creator of the artifact. In contrast, Post-Modern artists, including myself, have reproduced appropriated elements virtually unaltered as a way of denying authorship and emphasizing a more conceptual format. Appropriated imagery has been a tool for me in my work. Additionally, both figurative and abstract elements play significant roles since I consider juxtaposition of elements to be a strength. The challenge of fitting these elements together has enabled me to develop a style of painting that seems uniquely mine. The formal issues of style and content figure heavily in my endeavor to capture a moment in time; something lost forever except for its persistence in memory. These reflections are often imbued with personal icons, arcane text and symbolic drawing that weave in and out of the landscape. Endemic to my work are the following: (1) abrasion/erosion of surface areas of the canvas; (2) partial imagery broken or skewed; (3) appropriation of historic subject matter or archaic brand images; (4) symbolic drawing; ie. hats as containers or landscapes, ravens that infer vigilance; and (5) a palette of complex colors resulting from overpainting with other colors to the point of becoming almost undecipherable. Subject matter is based on my own personal history and life experiences as well as my reaction to current happenings.

Notes

Problem in Lieu of Thesis

Language

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this thesis in the Digital Library or other systems.

Collections

This thesis is part of the following collection of related materials.

UNT Graduate Student Works

This collection houses graduate student works other than theses and dissertations. All materials have been previously accepted by a professional organization or approved by a faculty mentor. The collection includes, but is not limited to projects or problems in lieu of thesis, supplemental files associated with theses and dissertations, posters, recitals, presentations, articles, reviews, book chapters, exhibitions, and artwork. Some items in this collection are restricted to use by the UNT community.

What responsibilities do I have when using this thesis?

When

Dates and time periods associated with this thesis.

Creation Date

  • December 2000

Added to The UNT Digital Library

  • June 24, 2008, 6:15 p.m.

Description Last Updated

  • March 21, 2016, 4:17 p.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this thesis last used?

Yesterday: 0
Past 30 days: 0
Total Uses: 119

Interact With This Thesis

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Start Reading

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

International Image Interoperability Framework

IIF Logo

We support the IIIF Presentation API

Rainey, David N. The Essence of an Image: Image as Memory, thesis, December 2000; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5835/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .

Back to Top of Screen