An Investigation into the Potential of Ceramics to Expressively Render Flesh and Skin on the Human Body

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Author
Mayo, Natasha
Date
2004Type
Thesis
Publisher
University of Wales
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Show full item recordAbstract
This practice-led research considers the ways in which the emphasis of flesh and
skin in figurative ceramic artworks can be understood, discussed and demonstrated
in terms of aesthetic properties. It examines theoretical discourse related to the
concept of expression in art and applies selected theories and principles to the
evaluation of the work of contemporary artists engaging with the figure.
Understandings of key principles and properties arising from these studies are
applied, tested and evaluated through a studio-based investigation, within the
researcher's personal art practice.
The project was undertaken through interdependent strands of theory and
practical studio-based investigation, comprising: a literature search and field study
to identify, review and evaluate existing material; the examination of key theories
and debates related to expression in art; an examination of aesthetic properties in
the work of selected artists, through the conduct of case studies; and the
undertaking of studio-based trials to give form to, and to test and evaluate, the
principles and properties identified in the theory and case study strands.
Findings from the project support the philosophical assertion that figurative
artwork exists within a common bodily frame of reference, thus enabling a shared
understanding of its properties. Results from the studio-based trials demonstrate
how particular perceptual relationships can be created or developed to achieve
specific aesthetic properties that are expressive of particular bodily states or
experiences. This research has developed and examined modes of ceramic
figuration which manipulate the interaction between expression, representation,
surface, and form to create a range of aesthetic properties that evoke sensations of
flesh and skin.
The study as a whole, being an integration of theory, fieldwork and practice,
demonstrates how specific qualities and emotions within a range of figurative
artworks might be effectively articulated, and also demonstrates the
appropriateness of the medium of ceramics to achieve this.
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