Date of Award
12-2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Legacy Department
Visual Arts
Committee Chair/Advisor
McDonald, Todd
Committee Member
Cross , Sydney
Committee Member
Wrangle , Anderson
Abstract
My work references both Early Renaissance paintings and digital technology through highly-saturated and detailed hybrids of painting styles. The religious narratives combined with digital symbols and artifacts of digital processes suggest the spiritual undercurrents surrounding digital technology in its potential for enlightenment, transcendence, and evoking a sense of the infinite. To further clarify the reasoning behind this connection, I discuss three themes. Firstly, the function of illusion in Early Renaissance and in digital space, secondly, the mythology and promise associated with digital space and lastly, the fact that we currently occupy two spaces simultaneously as computer users, and aligning that with Early Renaissance dualism. My work points to the persistence of our desire to be transported by visual means and explores ways the spiritual realm has been represented in the past and today. The resulting paintings evoke a divine encounter, reflecting on both the religious subject matter referenced in Renaissance sources and the mystical aura projected by new technologies.
Recommended Citation
Butler, Sarah, "Visions & Fissures" (2012). All Theses. 1571.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1571