Ecocriticism from Art:A Study of Ecological Art of Helen Mayer and Newton Harrison

Autor: Fang-Gui Liu, 劉芳桂
Rok vydání: 2010
Druh dokumentu: 學位論文 ; thesis
Popis: 99
As environmental concern become one of the most important issues in recent years, this thesis, on the basis of the Harrisons’ project, develops the study of the relations between the sociality, ecological awareness and the landscape presented by contemporary art when faced with ecological themes. From the exploration of such linage, this thesis returns and further examines and criticizes the artistic works of the Harrisons. Three separate angles of research are then revealed: the linage of art history, ecological awareness of Ecocriticism and the creative link between art and society. Helen Mayer and Newton Harrison first cooperated in the 1970s, the blooming age of ecology. Different from that of other “landscape artists”, who incorporated nature into their works but neglected the development of ecology, their work, through collaborative conversations with experts of other disciplines, discussed and interpreted professional environmental issues and ecological awareness, and attempted the restoration of ecology system and the solution of its problems. Such works were evident in their critical texts, for instance Suzanne Lacy’s “Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art” and Grant Kester’s “Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art” are both important references to the Harrisons’ works. With these texts, as the foundation in the exploration of the relations between art and social practices, the publicity and sociality of the Harrisons’ works are further discussed. Through the discussion of awareness, it is deduced that the social orientation of contemporary art is the descendant of the awareness and reflection constructed by the overall criticism to the development of modern society. The works addressing ecological issues in contemporary art are the precise reflection of this linage, as they aim to restore the lost links of man to nature, and people to society. With the exploration of this linage, works of the Harrisons are of pioneering value in both ecological art and ecocriticism, as well as in the social connections of contemporary art.
Databáze: Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations