| Abstract |
Art has become a term that eludes definition. Inasmuch as art is a truly human; activity, I believe that any attempt to explore this complex topic must establish as its; foundation basic human capacities. I propose that this foundation consists of three aspects; of human interest that come together in various combinations to explain the class of artifacts; that we call art. They consist of the Sensate capacity, the Model-Making capacity,; and creation and use of Status. These three categories also mirror the three primary; spheres of human concern: the sensual, the intellectual, and the social. Because semifunctional; definitions of art can be (and have been) created in each of these categories, I; believe that the complex and often contradictory aims of these three concerns explain why; an essential definition of art remains elusive.; The works in my thesis show draw on the influences of optical instruments in the; history of visual depiction. Digital images can be a bridge between photography and; painting. In a photograph, there is always the assumption of a physical presence to be; captured by the photographer. In painting, we allow for the possibility that what is represented; may or may not have been what the artist experienced. My work shares this; attribute. Although some elements in my work depict real things, many objects have; never had a tangible physical existence. These elements are modeled completely inside; the world of a computer. They are ghosts made of nothing more substantial than numbers,; yet they seemingly share a space with objects that have both physicality and history.; Lenses and mirrors are a common thread in my work. Lenses represent seeing and; are at the core of our biology of perception. They represent a point of view and a narrow; focus. Mirrors are a metaphor for art itself as well as the process of self knowledge and; discovery. They are also part of the tricks of mind and eye: smoke and mirrors. In the; end, perhaps all depictions share a strange mixture of magic, truth, and illusion. |
