Nancy Crosby

Abstract

Let me begin by saying, I have been raised Catholic, and all of my life I have been influenced strongly by my beliefs. Because of my devotion to my faith, I have been bombarded by fantastic iconography and images which seem to proclaim the presence of not only an omnipotent being who reigns over all of mankind, but also, the existence of another realm or realms beyond this insignificant way station known as earth. Throughout the continual passing of time, humanity has vigorously tried to give face to the invisible manipulators who seem to influence their thoughts and actions. On my thesis quest, I have only just begun tapping into other forms of religion - superstitious pagan beliefs, classical Greek mythology, etc. - and how they share a common element with my own faith. In a sense, my art work functions to combine elements of these different doctrines in order to arrive at my own contemporary art creed. In other terminology, my art work is utilized to explore the realms of the mysterious, it seeks out the merciful gods who bestow blessings from the heavens, it discloses the presence of evil demons who spit damning curses from fiery hiding places, and, quite simply put, it points a finger at the fear and yearning of my mind to envision or make sense of that which is unknown. In order to lend credibility to this magical, chaotic, dream-like world which I have attempted to create, I have constructed multiple panel paintings which I continuously shift around while the work is in progress. Not only does this shift promote a fresh vibrancy to the surface qualities of the composition, but it also aids the viewer in altering his/her gaze from a tangible reality to that which is unfathomable. For this reason, my thesis endeavor is entitled Shifting Reality.

Publication Date

5-15-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Art (CIAS)

Advisor

Miller, Edward

Advisor/Committee Member

Bornarth, Phillip

Advisor/Committee Member

Vajda, Kathryne

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works in December 2013.

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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