Abstract

Abstract

Through a study into the complex web of Church and State, I describe how the American condition falters under a Capitalist regime. Throughout this thesis, I identify incongruences within pervading socio-political tropes. By dissections of religion and culture, I identify how the American people are subjugated by their own ideologies, thereby perpetuating a cycle of class struggle and social injustice. I assert that the American hero has failed in the face of material desire and blind faith to a ruling plutocracy, and that organized religion has been ultimately subsumed by politics as a tool of control. Using the visual language of American culture against itself, I’ve created a series of works that reflect this dark underbelly of American culture. In doing so, I attempt to display how artworks can activate discourse on a sociopolitical level, and moreover emphasizes art’s obligation to do so.

Committee Chair

Timothy Portlock

Committee Members

Timothy Portlock

Comments


Art can either be used for propaganda or against it; it never remains neutral to its surroundings.

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7F18X52

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art

Author's Department

Graduate School of Art

Author's School

Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Spring 5-19-2017

Language

English (en)

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