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Time Unbound: An Exploration of Eternity in Twentieth- Century Art. c. Leonard Aitken 2014 Time Unbound: An Exploration of Eternity in Twentieth- Century Art. SUBMISSION OF THESIS TO CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY: Degree of Master of Arts (Honours) CANDIDATE’S NAME: Leonard Aitken QUALIFICATIONS HELD: Degree of Master of Arts Practice (Visual Arts), Charles Sturt University, 2011 Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts), Charles Sturt University, 1995 FULL TITLE OF THESIS: Time Unbound: An Exploration of Eternity in Twentieth-Century Art. MONTH AND YEAR OF SUBMISSION: June 2014 Time Unbound: An Exploration of Eternity in Twentieth- Century Art. SUBMISSION OF THESIS TO CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY: Degree of Master of Arts (Honours) ABSTRACT The thesis examines contemporary works of art which seek to illuminate, describe or explore the concept of ‘eternity’ in a modern context. Eternity is an ongoing theme in art history, particularly from Christian perspectives. Through an analysis of artworks which regard eternity with intellectual and spiritual integrity, this thesis will explain how the interpretation of ‘eternity’ in visual art of the twentieth century has been shaped. It reviews how Christian art has been situated in visual culture, considers its future directions, and argues that recent forms are expanding our conception of this enigmatic topic. In order to establish how eternity has been addressed as a theme in art history, the thesis will consider how Christian art has found a place in Western visual culture and how diverse influences have moulded the interpretation of eternity. An outline of a general cosmology of eternity will be treated and compared to the character of time in the material world. Next, a brief history of interpretations of eternity in visual art will establish a twentieth-century context, concentrating on forms that have influenced Western-Christian perspectives. The important ideological changes from antiquity to the present will be outlined, especially regarding the theological, social and cultural characteristics involved in the creation and reception of these artworks. Certificate of Authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material that to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at Charles Sturt University or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contributions made to the research by colleagues with whom I have worked at Charles Sturt University or elsewhere during my candidature is fully acknowledged. I agree that the thesis be accessible for the purpose of study and research in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Executive Director, Division of Library Services or nominee, for the care, loan and reproduction of theses. Name: Leonard Aitken Date: 8 October 2015 A Christian/Protestant perspective on the Relationship of Eternity and 104 God to Man and Time. Religion and Spirituality. 106 Social Issues and the Influence of Science and Technology on 108 Christianity and Art. The Christian/Protestant View on Art and Creativity Today (Tentative 111 steps to a Protestant Aesthetic). The Effect of Today’s Social, Cultural Conditions on Art and the 114 Creation of Images of Eternity. Case Studies of Eternity in Contemporary Art. 117 The Eternal Logos. (The Word of Eternity). 119 A Spiritual Afterlife. 142 Eternity or Infinity? 166 The Dichotomous Struggle: The Healing Powers of Time and Eternity. 176 Finding Hope After Hell: Hell, Purgatory and the Apocalypse. 186 The Blake Prize. 215 The Unique Case of Performance and the Installation. 228 Where Do We Go From Here? 253 Conclusion. 258 Bibliography. 261 2 Time Unbound: An Exploration of Eternity in Twentieth-Century Art. Overview. This paper will examine contemporary works of art which seek to illuminate, describe or explore the concept of ‘eternity’ in a modern context. Eternity is an ongoing theme in art history, particularly from Christian perspectives. Through an analysis of artworks which regard eternity with intellectual and spiritual integrity, this thesis will explain how the interpretation of ‘eternity’ in visual art of the twentieth century has been shaped. It reviews how Christian art has been situated in visual culture, considers its future directions, and argues that recent forms are expanding our conception of this enigmatic topic. In order to establish how eternity has been addressed as a theme in art history, this thesis will consider how Christian art has found a place in Western visual culture and how diverse influences have moulded the interpretation of eternity. An outline of a general cosmology of eternity will be treated and compared to the character of time in the material world. Next, a brief history of interpretations of eternity in visual art will establish a twentieth-century context, concentrating on forms that have influenced Western-Christian perspectives. The important ideological changes from antiquity to the present will be outlined, especially regarding the theological, social and cultural characteristics involved in the creation and reception of these artworks. Within this review, a specifically Protestant perspective of eternity will be traced. Protestant theology today is varied because of the many different branches of the church. However this thesis will posit a general Protestant theology with particular attention to how it relates to art and eternity. It will also relate these theologies to modern philosophies and theories of time and eternity as relevant to the artists concerned. Artworks addressing eternity produced within the last eighty years have been collected and contextualised within postmodern society. These embrace topics such as today’s theories of the relationship of time to eternity, the contemporary Protestant standpoint on 3 this relationship and its views on the place and purpose of art, the influence of Postmodern ideals on art, and the contemporary understanding of eternity. The main section of this paper will examine contemporary works of art which seek to illuminate, describe or explore the concept of eternity in a modern context. The works (including fine art, film and new media will show how interpretations of ‘eternity’ in contemporary art may be re-assessed through a twenty first century Christian/Protestant interpretative framework. This framework is influenced by such contemporary factors as the global technology revolution, postmodernism and relativism. This section will be divided into smaller sections exploring eternity from such standpoints as The Eternal Logos to Installation Works. This will conclude with an analysis of possible future directions for art as it continues to explore the concept of eternity. Introduction. Does eternity exist; and if so what are its characteristics, and how does it relate metaphysically to our universe? The Christian/Protestant perspective of eternity began with Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430)1 who believed eternity was an atemporal universe,2 distinct from this universe. In essence, the Protestant perspective of eternity is the same. It is the universe containing the traditional Trinity of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) - the time and place from which our material universe was created.3 Christian Theology posits eternity as being divided into two distinct realms - Heaven and Hell. Here, eternity is more than just eternal time - it is a place - distinct from the world in which we currently live. It is not possible to travel to either Heaven or Hell 1 In the City of God (410) Augustine emphasised that the Christian should not be concerned with worldly things, but with the City of the New jerusalem. 2 Augustine writes in relation to the eternal realm (Heaven) where God lives: ‘Thy eternity,… through the sweetness of that most happy contemplation of Thyself, strongly restrain its own changeableness’… cleaving close unto Thee, is placed beyond all the rolling vicissitude of times.’ Heaven is therefore outside of time and separate from the universe and because it is not affected by time it is unchangeable, unlike the things of the world. Heaven is therefore atemporal. Augustine of Hippo. (398 A.D.) The Confessions of St. Augustine. Book XII. Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey (1909-14) Sacred texts.com” 3 The Holy Bible. New International Version. (1984). London: Hodder and Stoughton. Genesis : Chapter 1. 4 while we still live in our Earthly bodies. Given these conditions, eternity is a somewhat imaginary environment and concept, which has inspired a great variety of interpretations throughout history. Art history provides opportunities to demonstrate the different theoretical characteristics and features of time and eternity when considered from religious and secular perspectives. For example the Christian view of time is that it is linear4, whereas Eastern religions (Buddhist, Hindu), see time as circular.5 How has this affected each belief’s view on eternity? Since cyclical time is eternal time, this has fostered views that eternity exists within the universe in which we live. Whereas for the Christian, linear time plays a role in the need for an ‘apocalypse’6, a ‘completion’ to time, when the universe as we know it ends and eternity ‘begins’. Some aesthetic and artistic characteristics have persisted while others have faded into obscurity in recent depictions of time and eternity
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