Date of Award
1987
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Art
First Advisor
Dean Eckert
Second Advisor
Grant Hargate
Third Advisor
Alyce Schermerhorn
Abstract
The architectural theme has been used in painting in varying ways as decoration, in landscape, as composition and as abstraction. From the first century until the Renaissance, architecture was used by artists as decoration or as a backdrop, setting the stage and framing the figures. Architecture as subject matter continued to evolve in a manner nearly parallel to the development of the landscape. Architecture in the form of Roman ruins, for example, was used in picturesque landscapes.
Architecture in landscapes developed into townscapes. In both Holland and Italy the townscape was painted extensively. The Venetian view painters were interested in recording what they observed about them and this provided souvenirs for the visitors to that city. Seventeenth century Dutch painters began to use architecture for its compositional value, as in the church interior paintings.
With the Impressionist movement in the nineteenth century, architecture was again used as composition. The plein-air artists realistically painted their surroundings, paying close attention to sunlight's effect on buildings and city streets. This trend to concentrate on light's effects rather than the object itself led to placing more importance on the painting for its own merit.
In the twentieth century, artists began taking familiar objects, including architecture, and abstracting them. Through distortion and abstraction these artists used the subject strictly for its compositional value. At present architecture continues to be both realistically and abstractly portrayed.
Through the research for this paper and the exposure to the art of the past, I am better able to evaluate my own work. Architecture is a dominant theme portrayed realistically in my paintings and drawings. I have found buildings to be an interesting subject and· have ·used them for their compositional value.
Recommended Citation
Richter, Allene Jones, "The Architectural Theme in Painting" (1987). Theses. 1261.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1261
Creative Commons License
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