Dissertation Information for Tom Anderson NAME: - Tom Anderson
- (Alias) Thomas Leroy Anderson
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Art History
SCHOOL:
- University of Georgia (USA) (1983)
ADVISORS: - None COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected
Title: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF AMERICAN STREET MURALS: 1967-1982
Abstract: This study critically analyzed the products and processes of the contemporary American street mural movement, between 1967 and 1982. The Feldman method of critical analysis was used to interpret a sampling of ten murals from different geographical areas within the United States. In addition, case studies were done of three muralists of varied backgrounds and philosophies. Supporting investigation included a history of mural painting in the United States, a review of contemporary mural making, and the role of mural making in the current educational context. The guiding question of the study was: what is the position of the contemporary mural movement in terms of the dominant social and political developments of the period 1967 to 1982? The intent of the study was to gain insights not only into contemporary murals but also into the culture or subcultures reflected by them. Significant insights were found in the social and historical as well as aesthetic realms. All such insights were subsumed by the study's overall didactic concerns.
It was found that contemporary murals are overwhelmingly social in their execution, function, and impact. The tendency is for the murals to reflect the specificity of local communities and subcultures within the larger society, thus reflecting a pluralistic aspect of American culture. Along with local specificity the murals reflect a localized sense of social responsibility, and as an extension, tend to deny centralized economics and technological structures. The content and forms of the murals tend to run counter to mainstream and establishment positions both in aesthetic and social terms.
It was also found through an examination of the process of contemporary mural making that the muralists consider their work to be socially connected to the larger society in a way that "high art" ignores. The social process of making murals was found to be very important, with the pedagogical element of primary concern. The direct concerns of street muralists were found not to have filtered into the educational structure to any great degree, but the social education of mural making has been retained in school mural making. Both outside and inside the educational structure, enlightenment is a primary motivator in mural making; thus, didactic concerns are intrinsic to the contemporary American mural movement.
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MPACT Scores for Tom Anderson A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2009-05-18 17:07:35
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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