Liminal Space: Representations Of Modern Urbanity

This Master’s Thesis Dossier is made up of three sections including a Case Study, a Comprehensive Artist Statement, and a Practice Documentation section. The case study analyzes George Shaw’s artistic practice and explores his interest in memory and place. In the artist statement I discuss my painting practice, which explores how the structure of urban and suburban environments affect people’s moods and behaviours and their social connections. I outline the art historical precedents for this type of subject matter and my work’s connection with Romanticism and photography. I also include research done on urban design by Jan Gehl and Charles Montgomery and research on the effects of having contact with architecture and greenspace by Eva M. Selhub and Alan C. Logan. Ultimately, I hope to reveal how the often unconsidered architectural spaces in urban and suburban settings subtly impact our lives. Lastly, the practice documentation section contains photographs and descriptions of some of the drawings and paintings I have completed during my MFA candidacy