'Ukiyo' was both a state of mind and a world of pleasure-seeking. It offered freedom from the limitations placed by the Tokugawa shogunate. It also gave the merchant class, and urban life in...Show more'Ukiyo' was both a state of mind and a world of pleasure-seeking. It offered freedom from the limitations placed by the Tokugawa shogunate. It also gave the merchant class, and urban life in general, a break from the controlling samurai warrior class. Edo (present-day Tokyo) society was generally regarded as a highly controlled society. Not unexpectedly, the Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka pleasure districts were likewise restricted. The most well-known of them was the Yoshiwara licensed brothel district, a separate walled town to the north of the main city that was exclusively created to entertain its male inhabitants. While ukiyo-e like paintings, prints, and illustrated books portrayed nearly every element of coeval Japanese society in Edo, pictures of female entertainers and pleasure districts in Yoshiwara were the most prevalent. A large selection of these portrayed women, although perhaps unintentionally by the artist because of the different social roles women had back then, are depicted in an objectifying manner. This is especially the case in bijinga, literally translated as ‘images of beautiful women’. The women, although it is debatable whether the depicted women are supposed to represent the actual women from the Edo period or if they are merely icons, are put down as objects of desire and vessels for reproduction among other things. In this paper, I will shed light on this issue and question whether ‘celebration’ or ‘aesthetic’ are used as a justification for these forms of objectification or not. Using ambiguous prints, I will give an analysis of the different perspectives and explanations that exist about that specific print.Show less
This is a well-argued thesis on a pertinent topic - revisiting the objectification of women in the genre of bijinga in early modern Japan. The thesis emphasises the need to revisit the...Show moreThis is a well-argued thesis on a pertinent topic - revisiting the objectification of women in the genre of bijinga in early modern Japan. The thesis emphasises the need to revisit the interpretation of women in this genre in relation to the historical functions of these images - advertising and selling the floating world. Based on analysis of selected case studies, the thesis argues convincingly that the escapist nature of representations of the floating world in ukiyo-e does not absolve researchers from their ethical responsibility to consider the historical realities behind the depiction of beautiful women. They were not just beautiful women but also sex workers, and their sophisticated and eroticized depiction in ukiyo-e purposefully glossed over these realities. Edo Period viewers of these images were aware of these realities to some extent but contemporary (Western) viewers are oftentimes not, which makes historical contextualization important for understanding the historical functions of these images. The thesis also argues that some bijinga depicted women more empathetically, and that this aspect has been marginalized due to the relatively uncritical interpretation of bijinga in past research primarily as an example of idealized art. For future research, the discussion of these marginalized bijinga can be extended.Show less
The purpose of this research paper was to develop an integrated clinical and artist framework of analysis that can be applied to the interpretation of “Schizophrenic Art,” in order to evaluate its...Show moreThe purpose of this research paper was to develop an integrated clinical and artist framework of analysis that can be applied to the interpretation of “Schizophrenic Art,” in order to evaluate its potential implications for art historical research. The methods used include a historical analysis of schizophrenia as a concept and the conceptual elucidation “Schizophrenic Art” through the lenses of art therapy and Outsider Art. To formulate an interdisciplinary framework and demonstrate its significance, interpretive methods and theories of art therapy and Outsider Art were combined and applied to the work of Aloïse Corbaz, a twentieth century female artist with schizophrenia. Three methods of analysis were employed namely, contextual, formal and iconographic, and clinical. The conclusion drawn from my analysis is that the formulation of an integrated framework can benefit art historical research on “Schizophrenic Art” by providing new perspectives, narratives, and insights.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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‘The Making of Modern Art’ is a long-term exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven that ostensibly presents the story of modern art. This thesis explores the significances and implications of...Show more‘The Making of Modern Art’ is a long-term exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven that ostensibly presents the story of modern art. This thesis explores the significances and implications of this: how does presenting modern art history as a story, and specifically one that is ‘made’ in the present tense, challenge dominant forms of history that claim to be singular and objective, and how does an exhibition such as this implicate the art historian whose methodologies of writing and representation similarly tend to obscure their own historical position? ‘The Making of Modern Art’ uses copies of paintings, of exhibition form, and of modes of history-writing. These copies, I suggest, function as translations. By engaging with these copies as translations, I explore how originality, authorship and subject-object relationships might be conceived of differently in contemporaneous art historical practices. The contemporary is a historical position, and contemporaneous artistic practices that address or re-imagine modern art history might, or indeed should, have implications on how we continue to write and reinforce particular forms of history.Show less
Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891) was born and educated in The Netherlands but moved to France for his artistic career. For a long time, he has been neglected in art history, but recently he has...Show moreJohan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891) was born and educated in The Netherlands but moved to France for his artistic career. For a long time, he has been neglected in art history, but recently he has received more attention. Dutch authors tend to portray him as a Dutch artist, whereas French authors emphasize his choice for France and the friends and influence he had there. This thesis investigates the claims made to Jongkinds national identity and the way he reflected himself in his writings and paintings.Show less
This thesis explores whether and to what extends Chino’s kara-yamato binary structure in traditional Japanese art history can fit into Japanese art in modern time periods, and what would be the...Show moreThis thesis explores whether and to what extends Chino’s kara-yamato binary structure in traditional Japanese art history can fit into Japanese art in modern time periods, and what would be the reason behind. It does so by analysing different artworks in the Meiji period, the early Taisho period and the contemporary period, and applying Chino's structure onto these artworks. In doing so, it extends the context of the structure further and tries to discover if new understandings of the structure can be added to the academic debate. The result of the analysis suggests that whether or not Chino’s structure can be applied onto certain contexts highly depends on Japan’s view towards the West in that context. The structure can fit better in earlier periods, and does not fit in more modern periods. Such change in the applicability of Chino's structure is influenced by Japan's cultural relation with the West throughout its modern history. It suggests that Japan has moved from the status of seeing itself in the cultural periphery in relation to the West, to taking more proactive role to challenge social inequalities and (re)construct cultural identities.Show less
This thesis deals with the appropriation and adaption of western style vanishing point perspective in Japanese woodblock printing culture. The thesis combines literary research and visual analysis...Show moreThis thesis deals with the appropriation and adaption of western style vanishing point perspective in Japanese woodblock printing culture. The thesis combines literary research and visual analysis to provide an overarching meta-perspective on the development of the vanishing point perspective and its associated traits in ukiyo-e of the Tokugawa period.Show less
The observation of evolutionary processes in cultural expression and art can be traced back to antiquity and has played an important role in historiography and the human sciences in general for...Show moreThe observation of evolutionary processes in cultural expression and art can be traced back to antiquity and has played an important role in historiography and the human sciences in general for centuries. However, over time the notion of directed cultural development towards a point of hypothetical perfection, as well as the corresponding belief in cultural developmental stages, came to be considered out-dated and suspect.The 20th-century abandonment of evolutionist art history is mainly due to the insight that one cannot establish what constitutes ‘improvement’ or ‘increasing complexity’ in the visual arts. Up until the Modern period a sense of directed progress was seen in the perceived improvement in mimetic quality of the artworks. The famous 20th-century art historian Ernst Gombrich in particular strongly believed in an ascending line towards ever-increasing realism. The present thesis concerns the uses of the metaphor of Darwinian evolution for the study of art history. How did evolutionism, before and after Darwin, develop in art historical writing? And how can a renewed analysis of the resemblances between biological evolution and art history resolve earlier problems with evolutionism and result in a reappraisal of the metaphor? The structure of the thesis is twofold. Firstly, we will look at the role of evolutionism in art history, both with respect to a pre-Darwinian, general sense of evolution and to a Darwinian, specifically biological sense. This historical overview will describe the general tendency to read art history as a process of gradual development towards ‘improvement’ and the role biological evolution has played in this perspective. Secondly, this thesis proposes a new role for the metaphor of biological evolution within the field of art history.Show less
This Master Thesis is written for the master Arts and Culture at Leiden University, with the specialization Early Modern and Medieval Art. In 2013, the canals of Amster-dam celebrated their 400th...Show moreThis Master Thesis is written for the master Arts and Culture at Leiden University, with the specialization Early Modern and Medieval Art. In 2013, the canals of Amster-dam celebrated their 400th birthday, a fact that inspired several authors in publishing books on this subject, most of them discussing several houses on the canals. This Thesis focuses on one canal house in Amsterdam, with address Amstel 218. This specific canal house is nowadays the location of one of Holland's largest and most important private art collections, the Six Collection. This collection has been located on Amstel 218 since 1915, and this study handles the period before this time. The chosen period is 1665-1800, from the moment the house was built until the end of the eighteenth century. This focus on the eighteenth century derives from, first of all, the fact that the Dutch seventeenth century or Golden Age has been rewarded much more attention in the existing (art)historical literature. Next to this, in the literature that does focus on the eighteenth century, a strong opinion is visible deeming this century less interesting from cultural historical viewpoint than its predecessor. This Thesis aims to bring focus to this period and hopefully uncover the lives of the people that owned a canal house in Amsterdam. The aim is to find out who lived in such a house, and to complete the face of these people, questions are asked such as: what did these people do professionally, were they born in a rich milieu or were they self made rich? What did their social surrounding look like, both professionally and in terms of family and friends and what were their interests, what did they do for recreation and education. To answer these questions, original eighteenth century archival documents are investigated to see what these home-owners did and what possessions they had. The goal of this Thesis is to give a face to these people, and see how the studied per-sons fit into the view that exists in current literature on the eighteenth century. This study will be carried out with the help from terms as formulated by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. These three terms are introduced in his book 'Distinction', that mainly deals with the topic of social stratification. The formulated terms are social, cultural and economic capital and are important in distinguishing a persons personal properties on a social, cultural and economical level. Abbreviated, social capital consists of the entire social network that a person has, both professionally and personally. Cultural capital is the collection of ones educational properties, together with for instance musical or creative talents, or the ability to speak different languages. Economic capital is the entire concrete possession of money, property and other goods or affairs that can instantly be translated into monetary value. These three terms are inextricably connected, because the growth in one specific area can influence that of the others. For example, expansion of economic capital can provide the owner with more social status. The other way around, social status or connections can provide jobs or other financial support and thus influence the economic capital. The first chapter elaborated these terms further, as well as it discussed Bourdieus influence on (art)historical literature. It also discussed the work of histori-ans Maarten Prak and Thera Wijsenbeek-Olthuis, whose literature on the Dutch eighteenth century is very important in this Thesis’ aim to draw an image of the lives of people in this period. ` The second chapter discussed the house itself and the entire history of its inhabitants. Amstel 218 was built in circa 1665, and archival documents show who owned the house from that day until today. As well as the history of the inhabitants, the chapter discussed all known architectural adjustments that the house has seen through the ages. This chapter unveiled that there were large differences in the duration of the ownership. Some owners stayed for six years, while others could last for thirty. In terms of the architectural history of the house, the extent to which the owners made adjustments to the house also differed greatly. The third chapter presented all the information found in archival documents, per owner. It discussed marriage, children, professional functions and religion of these owners, all discovered in original sources. Differences became clear in all aspects. While everyone got married, some families remained childless where others had five children. Amongst the owners were roman-catholics, Calvinists and a Baptist. The chapter discussed what these religious viewpoints meant at the time, as well as what their jobs represented. Several of the inhabitants were merchants, others had functions with the VOC and one of them worked as an auctioneer. This chapter also reviewed the information about their financial situation, derived from testaments or other financial documents. The fourth chapter discussed the lives of these people in their social historical context, guided by Bourdieus terms. In this chapter, it becomes clear that these people are exemplary of the social historical context, as formulated by different historians. The eighteenth century was defined by interest in science, a great divide between the poor and the rich, a longing for peace and quiet outside of the city and a great care for the exposition of status. Based on the original sources is concluded that these owners probably suited their time. This Thesis has tried to sketch an image of the lives of the people that lived in a grand canal house in Amsterdam, in the eighteenth century. Based on archival documents, we have learned what these people did for a living, what their social net-work could look like and what they had in terms of possessions. Although these people came from different social standings, they all owned the same house at some point. The sources disclosed that these people had more in common than just the house, for they shared some of the same interests and possessions, such as almoner ship, literature, religion, a love for the countryside and, most of all, the tendency to show off their social, cultural and economical status.Show less
