Identifier

etd-1112102-030154

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation into the artwork of Paul Arthur Dufour. He has continuously redefined his identity through the form of his art, and his life. The work is passionate, powerful, complex and always of the moment. It is helpful to capture specific moments as opposed to developing a theory about brushstrokes or color or thematic focus because Dufour has worked in just about every imaginable media, color and genre. The possibilities for interpretation of his life’s work are thus limitless. After interviewing Paul Dufour and poring over countless drawings, paintings and other works, I have determined that to discuss the work of this artist effectively, a flexible approach is required. The paper is broken up into four main sections, each devoted to a specific facet of his fifty-year career as an artist and educator. Part One explains the philosophical foundations of his conceptual approach to creativity. Part Two illustrates his education and its impact on his artwork. Part Three features a description of three research trips he took and their influence on the continuing development of his expression. And finally, Part IV illustrates the earlier chapters in concrete fashion through a discussion of a particular piece that ideally represents Dufour's multidimensional approach. To experience the ‘reality’ of Paul Dufour’s work, one must bathe in the color that shines through his windows or sense the electric air in his storm paintings. The conceptual discussion of cognition and reality help prepare the way to understanding the fragmented nature of Dufour's art because this is what he thinks about. In Paul Dufour’s art, the more you look, the more you see. Multiplicity is the key for understanding the career of Paul Dufour because it illuminates perhaps one of the only conceptual links that is present in all of his pieces.

Date

2002

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Fredrikke S. Scollard

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.926

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