Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis analyzes the rhetoric of the Van Gogh Museum and exposes its communicative strategies holistically. An extensive and multi-faceted analysis on the persuasive character of the Rietveld...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the rhetoric of the Van Gogh Museum and exposes its communicative strategies holistically. An extensive and multi-faceted analysis on the persuasive character of the Rietveld building, the Kurokawa wing, and modern media shows that the communicative strength of the Van Gogh Museum is situated in its awareness of different audiences, their varying needs, and plural museum experiences. In a museum landscape where collection-oriented purposes are increasingly shared with public-oriented functions, the only way through which the museum is able to exert and preserve its expertise is by catering to its audiences. Revealing the rhetorical strategies behind the VGM’s communication results in an awareness that the postmodern museum is capable of transforming its commercial activities into valuable dialogues, in which the visitor is treated as an equal, active, and indispensable participant. Commercial museological practices do not threaten the educative value of the museum but carry the potential to actively encourage inclusivity and accessibility. The VGM emits this message in all of its inherently communicative elements.Show less
This thesis argues how to create a decentralised approach to artist initiatives, using a non-'western' centric framework, which dominates the art world by creating centres and peripheries. Using...Show moreThis thesis argues how to create a decentralised approach to artist initiatives, using a non-'western' centric framework, which dominates the art world by creating centres and peripheries. Using Guatemala as an example, it shows that it is possible to create a discourse that considers the socio-economic condition of the nation-state, its cultural background and the necessities of the population, to develop an art scene based on artist initiatives that are not depending on the major ' western' institutions in the art world. This leads to admit a higher relevance to artist initiatives and their impact on the development of art and cultures not just in their respective community, but also on a broader scale, as participants in the cultural development and the education of a country.Show less
Central to much analysis and research within the artistic field is the artwork itself, as an object, a product, experience or situation that has been made or created by an artist; therefore,...Show moreCentral to much analysis and research within the artistic field is the artwork itself, as an object, a product, experience or situation that has been made or created by an artist; therefore, discourse often revolves around the reception of art and the intentionality or mastery of the artworks creator – i.e. how the work is received and why it was created. Artworks can be exhibited, the reception of them can be studied, often classified and interpreted in such a way that evaluations can be made according to the criteria of the established discipline of Art History, and although this type of formal and critical analysis can sometimes extend to considering the reception of the artists themselves, often in relation to their creative intentions, choices or use of materials and techniques, discourse marginally elaborates upon or questions how art emerges or what takes place during the artistic process when maker meets matter, or vice versa. The lack of discussion and focus upon the material engagement involved throughout the creative process is what this thesis aims to emphasise, by questioning our contemporary understanding of what takes place when maker meets matter and proposing how a material view on art can allow for and encourage a new understanding to be put forth regarding this dynamic interaction within contemporary art discourse.Show less
