Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Art
Committee Chair/Advisor
Todd McDonald
Committee Member
Andrea Feeser
Committee Member
Anderson Wrangle
Abstract
This thesis, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self, documents my journey in understanding the self through the act of oil-painted self-portraiture. Through an exploration of eye contact, body language, non-performative representations of self, and the tension between engagement and detachment, this body of work examines the complexities of visibility, agency, and self-perception. Using my own body as both subject and metaphor, I investigate the interplay between revealing and withholding, questioning the boundaries between what is seen and what remains obscured. Blending classical figure painting techniques with abstracted elements, my work engages in a dialogue between tradition and experimentation. The inclusion of companion pieces alongside individual portraits creates shifting narratives that evolve with viewer engagement.
These paintings exist within a space of vulnerability, reflecting my evolving relationship with self-representation. By treating painting as both a communicative act and a site of introspection, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self serves as a record of my artistic development and a broader meditation on selfhood. Through this process, I have confronted my own notions of the self, agency, and perception, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship to self-representation and the tensions of visibility.
Recommended Citation
McDonald, Maya, "The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self" (2025). All Theses. 4526.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4526