Master of Fine Arts

thesisMaster of ArtsArt/Art HistoryWeakening moral standards and the increasing speed and distractions of contemporary life have contributed to the diminished capacity of individuals within Western society to feel and comprehend more deeply. The scales of available information are tipped to the sensual, inconsequential and commercial, leaving less room for meaningful experience to affect everyday life. To a large degree, art's capacity to teach, inspire and provide a religious or moral dialogue has been neglected. In response to the unrestricted freedom available to contemporary artists of the postmodern age that allows for disengagement from traditional artistic practices and moral responsibility, the artwork created for my MFA exhibition seeks to reverse these trends through the use of time- honored Western symbols. Using the traditional medium of oil paint, all the symbols in the exhibition have the capacity to carry multiple meanings and traverse cultural and historical boundaries but were chosen because of their shared link to Judeo-Christian religions. Each work is rendered on a minimalist-type ground with an everyday object floating in the center of a square canvas. The focused isolation of the symbolic object is painted in a form of magic realism reminiscent of the twentieth century artist Rene Magritte. The desired goal is to create the opportunity for increased deliberation and reflection upon the painted object and its symbolic implications