Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

Date

6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

Department

Visual and Performing Arts

Chief Instructor

Alex Jackson

Second Reader

Luis Croquer

Keywords

visual art, fine arts, painting, abstract, home, pure feeling

Abstract

This thesis discusses the ways that a phenomenological experience can translate itself through the medium of painting. This translation evokes deep feelings through physical considerations of materiality, light, context, distance, and time. Through a series of intimate and abstracted oil paintings created in thin layers, the work conveys an interdependent relationship between light and darkness. This project draws from research on art movements like Suprematism, Minimalism, and Expressionism, as well as larger practices and philosophies about photography and the sublime. The body of work draws direct reference to Junichiro Tanazaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows. Ultimately, the work described in this thesis create an opportunity for viewers to slow down and connect with paintings that are both familiar and mysterious, enabling a sense of wonder.

Worcester

No

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