The Japanese Kosode; an Exploration of the Influences of Japanese art, Aesthetics, and Sumptuary Laws on ‘Furisode with Pine, Bamboo and Plum’ from the Collection of Kosode at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Catherine James
Subject: Textile and Fashion
10,000 words
‘Furisode with Pine, Bamboo and Plum’ is an example of a type of fashionable garment worn by young unmarried women in the nineteenth century. This study discusses the garment and shows how it demonstrates several elements of Japanese aesthetics and both conforms to and defies the sumptuary laws of the time. This furisode is placed within the context of the history of kosode (now kimono) design and the relationship of kosode to other japanese art.
A Study of Silk Wall-Coverings in the Red Drawing Room at Castletown House
Penelope Jenkins
Subject: Architecture, Interior Decoration and Textiles
10,000 words
The eighteenth-century alterations at Castletown House have been widely researched and documented. However, the nineteenth-century alterations completed by Thomas Conolly have not received such treatment. This dissertation will aim to demonstrate the significance of one of the principal elements added during this time; the damask wallcoverings in the Red Drawing Room. An examination into their provenance will link the wall-coverings to some of the most sumptuous palatial interiors of mid-nineteenth century Italy. Thus as their technical and aesthetic qualities in context to European silk production and design. Due to its steady deterioration a study into the silk-covering’s current state of preservation will be made. Possible conservation and restoration methods will be considered.
An Illuminated folio on vellum. An analysis of, and an enquiry into its sources
Eva M. Jennings
Subject: Painting and Manuscript
10,000 words
The subject of this dissertation is an illuminated manuscript page. Painted on vellum, it illustrates the ‘Betrayal of Christ’ with the ‘Agony in the Garden’ depicted in the background. This is framed, and surrounded by a richly decorated border, the edges of which are uneven. ... Both the style and many of the folio’s motifs link it to the wealth of illuminated books produced in the 15th century France and the Netherlands.” The ultimate aim of the paper is to locate and date this work.
The Art of the Irish Stage Designer
Anne Jennings
Subject: Theatre set
10,000 words
This dissertation aims to study the art of the stage designer in Ireland from 1980 to the present time (1991). It discusses the work executed in Dublin during this period with specific reference to that created for the Abbey Theatre and the Gate Theatre. The author is interested in what way do European trends and styles inform Irish stage designers; what degree of influence does Irish painting and sculpture have on this discipline; and to what extent the wealth of European motifs and images are used.
Architectural Commemoration of the Holocaust in Berlin
Anna Job
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
The aim of this dissertation is to examine the post-war tradition of architectural Holocaust commemoration in Berlin with a focus on Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum of Kreuzberg (2001) and Peter Eisenman’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Euope in Mitte (2005). The designs by Libeskind and Eisenman are attempts to architecturally acknowledge Holocaust commemoration is a global phenomenon, it remains a particularly sensitive one in Germany.
An Archaeological and Art-Historical Investigation of the Supposed Tenth Century Hiatus in Irish Art: with Reference to Excavations at Ballinderry Crannóg No. 1, Co. Westmeath, 1932, and Dublin City, 1962-1981
Ruth Claire Johnson.
Subject: Art
Approx. 60,000 - 80,000 words
The Application of Peircean Semiotic Theory to the Work of René Magritte
Cillian Johnson
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
Roderic O'Conor 1860-1940
Roy Johnston
Subject: Painting
Supervisor: Anne Crookshank
Immutability and Flexibility: The Paradox of the Irish Management Institute
Petra Jordan
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertatation deals with the architecture of the Irish Management Institute at Sandyford by Arthur Gibney. The building is examined within the context of contemporary office architecture. In particular, the thesis looks at the way in which the Irish Management Institute fits into the conventional style of building for corporation function. The Building is considered in relation to the oeuvre of Arthur Gibney and is compared to successive projects to demonstrate the development of a particular concept throughout his career. A discussion of the Irish Management Institute involves an examination of the form and concept of the buildings. Finally, the buildings are considered in the context of the award of the Royal Institute of Ireland’s Triennial Gold Medal.
Looking at the overlooked; signatures, surface and symbol
Ruth Jordan
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
This is a discussion of the various typologies of signatures in paintings with examples from 16th and 17th century Italian, Spanish and German art to illustrate predominant themes and interests of the artists in this period. It argues that signatures are a point of interpretation which is frequently overlooked.
Threatening Temptation, Thrilling Titillation: Eve and the Female Serpent as a Insight into Male Attitudes Towards “Lesbian-Like’ Behaviour in Europe, 1410-1510
Tara Joshi
Subject: Painting, Drawing and Manuscripts
10,000 words
This dissertation examines the attitudes towards lesbian-like activity in fifteenth century Europe specifically via a survey of European images of Eve and a female serpent between the dates 1410-1510 ( a hundred year span chosen for its particularly interesting images in this regard). This work represents an enquiry into a facet of Renaissance sexuality. Iconography in art of the figures of Eve and Lilith as the original women or the original lesbians will be discussed. Temptation, titillation and the female serpent in such images will also be addressed. Biblical texts such as the Book of Genesis and the letters of St Paul will be examined to see how these works influenced the meaning and depiction of these images.
Bray Town Hall and Market House
Maureen Joyce
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
Bray Town Hall is a mock-Tudor style house from the 1880’s surrounded by modern urban buildings. This is a detailed study of the house and its history.
Yours or Mine: Legal Restitutions of Nazi Looted Artworks in the United States and France
Virginia Juillard
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
This dissertation is a discussion on legal restitution of Nazi looted artworks. Existing legal papers briefly mention the different ways in which legal systems resolve cases in the restitution of looted artworks. None delved further into the matter and compared systems through court cases and affairs. This thesis focuses on the diverging ways the United States common law system and the French civil law validate title and the issues surrounding the debate on restitution.
Virgin, Mother, Soldier An Evaluation of the Depiction of Women in the Northern Irish murals
Muireann Kane
Subject: Painting, Murals, Mixed Media
10,000 words
This thesis will examine the depiction of women in the Northern Irish murals. Looking to Loyalist and Republican mural, it will provide an indepth evaluation of the treatment of the female figure from both perspectives. As well as reviewing the effectiveness of State intervention on the murals. It will explore the various interpretations of Mother Ireland, the personification of Ireland as a mother, by both muralists and contemporary Irish artists, Michael Farrell, Martin Forker and Rita Duffy.
Man of the House: Masculinity and Modernity in Gustave Caillebotte's Interiors
Louise Margot Kavanagh
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
Gustave Caillebotte's representations of men in the domestic interior, a realm historically associated with women, convey an introspective view into the private lives and inner worlds of urban, upper middle class men in late nineteenth century France.
Dublin : The Churches of St. Werburgh and St. Ann
Lesley Kavanagh
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
“The two early 18th century churches of St. Werburgh’s and St. Ann were built within five years of eachother as part of Archbishop King’s reconstruction programme for the Protestant Church.” The churches are studied in detail. Chapter three is devoted to a discussion of the rebuilding of St. Werburgh’s, in the early 18th century. Chapter four deals with the subject of St. Ann’s and the building of a church for a new parish.
Painting the Palaces
Ciara Kay
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
To understand the Minoan approach to wall painting, it is necessary to first accept the lack of division in arts crafts in the Bronze Age. During this period, and especially in this civilisation, much of the material culture was treated as a suitable canvas for decoration. While the precise methods of painting a cup to be fired and composing a wall painting on wet plaster may differ, a dialogue can still be seen between the symbols and motifs which appear on each, The artists who decorated the sites studied in this paper had a clear sensitivity to the images they saw on ceramics and precious objects, incorporating them into their compositions.
Revival or Renaissance? Art O’ Murnaghan’s Book of Resurrection in the Context of the Celtic Revival
Rose Kayla
Subject: Manuscript
Supervisor: Dr Yvonne Scott
Olafur Eliasson and the Land Artists: Eliasson as a continuation of land art in the twenty-first century
Annabel Kealy
Subject: Sculpture, Installation
10,000 words
Fashion and the Modern Art Movement in Paris 1900-1930: A Meeting of Minds
Louise Keane
Subject: Fashion
10,000 words
“Fashion and fine art have always been inextricably linked. Painting and sculpture serve as a valuable visual history of costume. However in the period between 1900 and 1930 in Paris a relationship sprang up between fashion and art of a complicated yet fascinating web of influences and counter-influences.” The concern of this work is to examine the explosion of ideas which circulated between these two areas of expression.
An Investigation into the Controversy Surrounding the Exhibition of Mick O’Dea’s Portrait of Brian Meehan in the 2003 Annual Exhibition at the RHA
Rosie Keane
Subject: Painting
10,000 words
In 2003, Mick O’Dea chose to exhibit his portrait of Brian Meehan, the convicted murderer of Irish journalist, Veronica Guerin. This dissertation aims to reveal some of the less aired aspects behind the relentless fog of publicity which has thwarted a fair assessment of this controversial portrait which was included in the RHA’s 173rd Annual Exhibition. The first chapter deals with the social context of the Brian Meehan portrait and how the display context completely overwhelmed the creative context. The second chapter examines what the controversy says about the public perception and expectation of portraiture. The third chapter deals with the idea of ‘shock’ in the arts, questioning whether the Meehan portrait was deliberately intended to shock, and commenting on the frequent comparisons made between O’Dea’s work and Marcus Harvey’s portrait of Myra Hindley from the 1997 Sensation exhibition.
The Private Houses of Robin Walker
Alexander Kearney
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This study examines the private houses of the architect Robin Walker from 1958 until 1982, with a view to elucidating the essential themes of the designs. During this period four significant domestic commissions were realised, whilst many important unexecuted designs exist on paper and on microfilm. The relation of Walker’s themes to those of Mies Van der Rohe is analysed and the question of the influence of LeCorbusier is addressed. Practical aspects of the work, including fittings, are analysed.
Dublin's Terracotta 1882-1903
Susan Keating
Subject: Architecture
10,000 words
This dissertation investigates whether the architectural uses of terracotta in Ireland followed its uses in Britain, or whether its use here differed sigificantly. The geological make-up of Ireland is examined in relation to the production of terracotta. The feasibility of a native terracotta industry in Ireland given the tough European competition is then analysed. This analysis is succeeded by a detailed examination of the uses of architectural terracotta in Dublin between 1882 and 1903.
An Investigation into the Illustrations of Zozimus and the Irish Relationship with Punch or the London Charivari
Niamh Keaveney
Subject: Illustration
Supervisor: Dr Philip McEvanonseya