COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
A Social Art: Women, The Middle Class, and How Furniture is Indicative of Cultural Values
Creator:
Barrett, Claire Olivia
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“Although furniture is found in museums and exhibitions around the world, the art historical community has noticeably undervalued the decorative arts—particularly furniture design—in its analysis of artistic movements such as Rococo. This hierarchy is symptomatic of a trend in the art world to hold in low esteem works that have a utilitarian focus. Moreover, the hierarchy established by the distinction of high/fine versus low/decorative arts ignores the level of cultural and artistic importance furniture has, leading to misinformation that affects our understanding of past styles. It is worthwhile for art historians to move past the fine arts versus decorative arts hierarchy, as it allows for a better understanding and documentation of the evolution of decorative art throughout the ages. The goal of my thesis is to answer the following questions: first, what can furniture design tell us about art and culture of eighteenth century France; and second, how do middle class women, restricted from official positions of power, enact wide reaching change in popular design? I will examine the furniture found in Rococo era Salons of the Bourgeoisie, scholarly opinion on Rococo art, and the patronage of Madame de Pompadour in order to answer these questions fully. --Abstract
Keywords: Rococo, decorative arts, socioeconomics, middle class, material culture and sexism.
Keywords: Rococo, decorative arts, socioeconomics, middle class, material culture and sexism.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2019-01
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 54 pages, color illustrations)