Art-Historical Thematic Research Collections: from Theory to Practice. Case study: Paintings of the Interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft
Karolina Badzmierowska
Subject: Painting
Supervisor: Dr Peter Cherry
This thesis explores a thematic collection of architectural paintings of the Oude Kerk in Delft that belong to a unique genre of architectural paintings that flourished in the Dutch Republic around the middle of the seventeenth-century. This body of work aims to challenge the common hypothesis that the perspective, and what follows, the proportions and composition of the paintings, was distorted. The presence of distortions is undeniable, although, there is a lack of comprehensive and detailed examination of all the known paintings of the Oude Kerk in Delft. It is the first time that the collection of over eighty paintings representing the same space is examined as a whole. Additionally, as an unprecedented working collection on the theme, it creates a new digital research environment to use for further study of the Oude Kerk in Delft and paintings of other church interiors in the 17th century Dutch art. This environment is the thesis?s practice-based component, the art-historical thematic research collection, which acts as a platform for the research undertaken in this study as well as a platform for dissemination and further development.
J.S. Mulvany’s Kingstown Harbour architecture
Joanna Bailey
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
John Skipton Mulvany, between 1840 and his death in 1870, designed four buildings in Dun Laoghaire or Kingstown as it then was. They consisted of the original station, the Royal Irish Yacht Clubhouse, and the now demolished Sailors’ Home. The aim of the dissertation is to analyse and assess the quality of these schemes by comparing them with contemporary station and yacht clubhouse design in Ireland and Great Britain.
The Art and Politics of Eviction Imagery, 1840-1890
Fiona Bailey
M. Phil (Irish Art History)
Subject: Art
Supervisor: Dr. Yvonne Scott
Four Illustrators: William Brunton, Paul Gray, Matthew Lawless and William McConnell
Christopher M. C. Bailey
Subject: Illustration
Supervisor: Anne Crookshank
The Domination of Men by Women in Fifteenth Century Florence
Fiona Bailey
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
An introduction to Quattrocento Florentine society and gender-ideology prefaces this investigation into the domestic art of the period. Through detailed analysis of motifs borrowed from the Old Testament, ancient mythology and classical legend, the female domination of men expressed in domestic art is explored. The difficulties in understanding these now obscure moral messages is highlighted. Furthermore, the mistrust of beauty as a fundamental topos of this domestic art is analysed.
The Impact of Commentary on Text and Image in Early Thirteenth Century Bibles Produced in France
Nina Baker
Subject: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts
Supervisor: Dr Laura Cleaver
A Revaluation of Sarah Cecilia Harrison’s (1863-1941) contribution to Visual and Political Culture in Ireland and Britain, as an Artist, a Promoter of the Fine Arts and a Social Reformer
Hannah Baker
An Architectural History of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin
Roisin Barron
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This thesis constructs an architectural history of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin. In 1930s Ireland, there was a recognised need for a children’s teaching hospital with specialised paediatric facilities and accommodation. This work explores how all these factors were realised. The discussion will situate the hospital in the context of contemporaneous Irish and European hospital architecture. The factors which had an impact on the design of the building will be addressed. In regard to architectural style, Crumlin Hospital displays influences of the International Style and the Amsterdam School together with emerging trends in Swedish Modernism. The tenets of function, structure and pleasing aesthetic were honoured in the construction and many new innovations were incorporated into the final stage.
Kilkenny Cathedral: A Study of its Architecture
Siuban Barry
Subject: Architecture
Supervisor: Prof. Roger Stalley
Stella Steyn (1907-1987)
Stephanie Barry
Subject: Painting
Supervisor: Dr Yvonne Scott
Merrion Square: A Documentary and Architectural Study
Siuban Barry
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertation is divided into two parts. Part one deals with the growth and development of Merrion Square from its beginnings in the early 1750's to the mid 1820's, by which time the development of the area was almost completed. Part two considers the buildings in the square, principally their facades and plan types and how these relate to each other. Interior decoration has not been dealt with as it would have increased the scope of the work to an unmanageable size.
Amadeo Modigliani and his Singularity in the History of Art
Sarah Barter
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
This thesis aims ‘to discuss the position of the work of the Italian born artist Amadeo Modigliani in the history of art. ‘His formative years in Italy where he was exposed to the classical art of antiquity and also to the highly academic works of the Italian Renaissance’ will be discussed. This background gave him an understanding of the traditions of classicism. ‘His career in Paris introduced him to the Modernist movements and developments.’ ‘His work displays ‘a variety of influences and inspirations.’ His art shows ‘a love for the old, traditional, classical, but also with a desire to modernise and make his art of his time.’ His position in the history of art in Paris in the early twentieth century, ‘at a time of such upheaval and change’ will be discussed. The influence of sculpture on his work and his sculptural style will be examined as will his ability to reintrepret the classical style in a modern idiom.
An examination of the iconographic evolution of the image of Christ in Early Christian Art.
Georgina Barter
Subject: Frescoes, Mosaics and Sculpture
10,000 words
This dissertation examines the iconographical evolution of the image of Christ in Early Christian art. For the purposes of this thesis, it is assumed that the typical rendering of Jesus Christ as the fair skinned adult male with long brown hair, is instantly recognizable to most people. It is an image that has not changed dramatically since the sixth century. The divinity associated with the image of Christ gives it a significant amount of religious importance especially for Christians themselves, but where did this symbolic image come from? How has it changed since its inception? It is intended in this work to examine the origins of the image of Christ and trace the iconographic evolution of his image as it is developed throughout the Early Christian period. The time frame under examination is mid 3rd century AD to mid 6th century AD.
Church of St. John the Evangelist, Sandymount
Helen Bartlett
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertation studies the neo-Norman church of St. John the Evangelist, Sandymount, Dublin 4. The church was built between 1844 and 1850, this study shows that it has a far older history.The building is examined in the context of Victorian Church Architecture; in terms of the religious background of the church; and traces the sources and influences of the architect (Benjamin Ferrey). The study gives a detailed analysis of the church fabric, looking at cause and effects of various structural failures.
The Onto-Aesthetics of Change: Deleuze and Contemporary Interdisciplinary Body-Oriented Art
Burcu Baykan
Subject: Art
Approx. 60,000 - 80,000 words
Portraiture in Revolutionary England (1640-1660). (Problems of identity in a cultural vacuum)
Elizabeth M. Behan
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
The interest of this dissertation lies in the “changes which occurred in the field of English portraiture between 1640 and 1660 ; changes which resulted from the challenge presented by the overthrow of the King and the establishment of a commonwealth.”
Metrology and Proportion in the Window Tracery of Medieval Ireland : an Empirical Study of Ormond and Connaught
Avril Behan
Subject: Architecture, Ornament
Supervisor: Dr Rachel Moss
The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which detailed empirical analysis of the metrology and proportional systems used in the design of Irish ecclesiastical architecture can be analysed to provide historical information not otherwise available. Focussing on a relatively limited sample of window tracery designs as a case study, it will first set out to establish what, if any, systems were in use, and then what light these might shed on the background, training and work practices of the masons, and, by association, the patrons responsible for employing them.
The Printed Page and the Build City: Architectura Moderna and the Formation of Dutch Classicism
Josephine Behar
Subject: Architecture, Print Culture
10,000 words
The Artist's Whore : 'Painted Lady' or Pretext?
Manda C. Bell
Subject: Painting
Seeking the Sacred in Brutalist Architecture
Iona Belov
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertation examines the trend for Catholic churches in the Brutalist style from the 1960s to the mid 1970s. Using as a case study, ‘The Church of the Most Holy Trinity’ in Vienna, designed by the sculptor Fritz Wotruba and architect Fritz G. Mayr, this dissertation aims to show how sacrality can be conveyed through Brutalist architecture. The thesis will evaluate how the ideals of the Brutalist architectural movement in the mid-twentieth century relates to a revised thinking about the liturgy of the Catholic Church and determine to what effect Catholic churches in the Brutalist style reflect these ongoing changes in the wider society at this time.
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens
Mary Sheila Catherine Bennett
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertation considers the life and career of Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. It discusses his domestic architecture; the Municipal Gallery, Dublin; and the Memorial Park, Islandbridge, Dublin.
Eakins Uncovered: The Artist, the Nude and Photography
Suzie Bennett
Subject: Painting and Photography
10,000 words
This thesis examines the photography of the 19th century American artist Thomas Eakins. Although his subject matter involved cats, children and horses, his most interesting and beautiful photographs captured the nude. Eakins was inherently interested in the nude form. He endeavoured to represent it in as many ways as possible. He used photography to reinterpret the nude, depicting it in simple and straightforward ways. His studies as a painter are apparent in many of his photographs where he has directed the models to form certain poses steeped in the academic tradition. It is interesting to observe how he treads the line between the new and the old, in turn forming his own artistic vision of the nude.
Keeping Up Appearances: The Etiquette of Dress in Victorian Art
Marion Bergin
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
This dissertation explores the previously unexamined aspect of nineteenth century costume, namely it's appearance in the art of the period. By examining Victorian costume through art, the author aims to view the costume in its original, day-to-day use, with the advantage that paintings "provide us with an alternate view of fashion and...record subtle nuances of the etiquette of dress." The etiquette of Victorian dress, in particular in relation to the bourgeois of Victorian society, is explored extensively using the paintings of the painters of bourgeoisie realism such as William Powell Frith. A background history outlining the developments that led to the rise of the fashion industry in the nineteenth century is followed by chapters on Victorian etiquette, contemporary ideas in relation to pictures depicting the middle class, and costume in domestic genre scenes. By examining this one aspect of Victorian painting, the author concludes with an original insight into the art of the period.
The art of Henry Darger; an examination of his paintings at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Helen Bermingham
Subject: Painting and Drawing
This dissertation outlines the life of Henry Darger and analyses those of his works that are held by the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The issue of his labelling as an outsider artist is dealt with and a conscious stance is taken to discuss his work in a manner independent of this label.The work ‘At Jennie Richee pursued by the fury of the long tropical thunderstorm they get lost in volcanic cavern’ is analysed in terms of the artist’s processes of depiction and the gender issues in the painting. Darger’s creation of imaginary creatures (the Blenglinomenians), their possible sources and their execution are discussed as is the relationship of Darger’s pictorially depicted imaginations to his novel ‘In the realms of the unreal.’ Darger’s remaining paintings in the IMMA collection are analysed in relation to his novel and his other paintings.