any art historian around on here?

Question

if so, i was wondering how i should come up with a thesis for my dissertation. How do i think like that for an 8000 word essay? I have no clue where to start and how? I am a graphic design student so where should i look? What areas? advertising? I'll give an example as to what kind of things i should be thinking like i.e. how has the female form been used and what for? so it could include nude paintings to paintings of the female form to advertising etc and why and what products tehy are used for and how sex sells etc. So that's something someone doing. how do i think up a title in relation to the past developing to present. thanks.

Answer 1

Hi Allgiggles,
My background is in art history. Here are some places to start, you first should think about the focus of your thesis. From that you can develop a well worded thesis sentence. For example, you mention advertising. That could well be the general area for your research, but you will need to focus on a specific area of advertising. Some topics that are hot in advertising right now are:

1. The evolution of advertising techiques. If you selected this topic, you would be better off to focus on one interesting period. An early period is likely to be the most interesting. You might select the Victorian or Edwardian periods. To do this you would need to be aware of what strategies are most common inn advertising now and relate these early examples to their evolution into these later trends.

2. I love your idea to use the female form as a way to move goods. That idea too is a bit too broad. Some questions that would narrow your focus are:
a. In what areas of advertising are nude female forms most often used? Beauty products? Automobiles?
b.Then you could focus on the reasons for this and the way this form of advertising has changed over time.

3. Another good focus might be to concentrate on one institution and follow the trends they have employed in their campaigns over the years. If I were doing this I would love to do a study of Selfridges. It began its advertising very early about 1902 and it has been a leader ever sense. (If you do pursue this for your thesis, be sure to go in person to both the History of Advertising Archive (source 2 below) and also visit the department store itself. Call ahead and talk to the person who handles PR for them. They will love talking to you, and they will be able to provide invaluable primary material. That will make your thesis stand out. Most students just produce boring text they find in text books and reference books.

Your project can be very exciting and it should even be fun. I think you'll find that you love doing the hands on research once you tuck in...Very best of luck!

Answer 2

An important thing to take into consideration is how art continually changes according the current morals, beliefs, and fashions of the time it was created. The artist always tries to please his viewers so they'll buy it, meanwhile still creating in his own style.
In the past, artists needed Patrons to support them, therefore their art had to please their Patron. This certainly had to have an effect on what they produced.
Like books, the critics many times say the worst kind of things about an artist's works. Mark Twain's book, "Tom Sawyer," was banned from libraries due to what they said was its "crude" language.
So, artists have to be true to themselves and what they're trying to convey in their works.
Many think graphic sex in art is a relatively new thing, but it was far more graphic in times gone by, than today.
The changes art has gone through have been incredible. From Michaelangelo down to Jackson Pollock, and all the other trail blazers like Matisse's pointilism, not to mention many, many others.
Good luck with your project.

Answer 3

One subject might be the use of traditional iconography by advertisers to advance their product. Perhaps the prime example would be Cocal Cola and Saint Nicholas. By seizing ownership of Santa Claus, Coke put themselves right at the center of the new faith of conspicuous consumption.

Mother nature, too, has been used to sell all kinds of biounfriendly products. Must drive the Wiccans nuts.

Answer 4

Hi there!!

Im a graphic designer too and Im doing a master degree in history of art
and I can tell you that you should start for choosing a theme like advertising or envelopes or newspapers once you have one theme you should pick something more specific like..... advertising> cosmetic advertising> period of time> stiles> any brand in especial? ok then you should think what are you going to study or analise like the influence of alphonse mucha in posterior advertaising for theather or touluse lautrec inluence in the art nouveau ...that kind of thing......

P.S. if you need more explanations feel free to e mail me and sorry for the english Im not a native speaker

Answer 5

i wouldn't go so much for female, though it can be included, but how does art enter advertising and vice versa, the thesis being that advertising is a modern form of art, and that art includes advertising often. think of Andy Warhol and comic books....

Answer 6

Sounds to me that you've already started - just 7100 words to go. Do it by candlelight, go to a magical website and buy some Zen type pebble candle holders

Answer 7

have a couple of bottles of wine and all will become clear.