In deze thesis wordt het argument verdedigd dat de manier waarop geometrische patronen als decoraties functioneren precies laat zien hoe representatie werkt. Het argument ontvouwt zich onder... Show moreIn deze thesis wordt het argument verdedigd dat de manier waarop geometrische patronen als decoraties functioneren precies laat zien hoe representatie werkt. Het argument ontvouwt zich onder meer door middel van een uitgebreide analyse van het recente ‘core knowledge’ paradigma uit de cognitieve psychologie. Core knowledge onderzoekers stellen dat culturele fenomenen zoals muziek, taal en visuele patronen, geworteld zijn in aangeboren kennissystemen bijvoorbeeld op het gebied van geometrie en nummer. Hieruit wordt duidelijk dat iedereen over dezelfde mentale bouwstenen beschikt om abstracte patronen te herkennen en te maken. Een analyse van onderzoek uit de antropologie en de semiotiek toont aan dat ook het vermogen om abstracte tekens als representatie van een ander object, lichaam of idee te zien, in elk mens aanwezig moet zijn. Met behulp van theorieën over representatie uit de kunstgeschiedenis, zoals die van Leon Battista Alberti en Gottfried Semper, wordt ten slotte duidelijk hoe het maakproces verloopt door middel waarvan abstracte tekens representaties worden. Geconcludeerd wordt dat als zodanig geometrisch decoratieve patronen op z’n minst en per definitie altijd naar een menselijke maker verwijzen en daarmee naar intentionaliteit. Show less
The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France.... Show more The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France. The early 12 Century Cathedral was built during a highly turbulent chapter in the history of the bishopric. After five centuries in personal union with the diocese of Noyon, and a long struggle for independence, Tournai recovered its own bishop in 1146. The architecture of the new early 12 Century Cathedral was to represent the venerable age of the Church of Tournai and its original independence. The triconchos (trefoil) ground plan points to the martyrium churches: it recalls the ideal of the early Church and its local saintly founder. The impressive group of five towers refers to the future, being a prefiguration of the Holy City Jerusalem that will descent on earth at the end of time. The strength of the Cathedral as a representation of the episcopal see of an independent bishopric of Tournai was visualised in the attribute of Eleutherius, the new patron saint: a model of the group of five towers forms a concise summary of the architecture of the Cathedral. Show less
Cinema and society interact. This given becomes fascinating when socio-politically sensitive issues are adapted in films that confront spectators with the frames of reference they use to make sense... Show moreCinema and society interact. This given becomes fascinating when socio-politically sensitive issues are adapted in films that confront spectators with the frames of reference they use to make sense of society. This thesis studies how North-American and European films depict political torture in the context of the ‘War on Terror’. It starts from the debate that was held in the political and public domain concerning the actual torture of suspects of terrorist activities, and analyses political torture in film as a fictionalised, stylised form of such violence. In this way, it shows how public debates, politics, and art convene in cinema to engage with contemporary realities we, as societies, find difficult to witness and process. The analyses focus on War on Terror films made between 2004 and 2012. They incorporate ethical, political, and moral questions about the use of political torture, while addressing the West’s share in the geopolitics of the War on Terror. Ultimately, contributions are made to the fields of film narratology and cultural theory, as well as to current debates about the role of cinema in society: cinema as art object, as commercial artifice, and as commentary on socio- politically sensitive issues. Show less
Franklin Roosevelt is often viewed as the first modern media president; he modernized the radio address and the press conference, made use of modern public opinion polls, and was the first... Show moreFranklin Roosevelt is often viewed as the first modern media president; he modernized the radio address and the press conference, made use of modern public opinion polls, and was the first president to leave a presidential library and museum. Roosevelt was also a modern media politician in the sense that he carefully -- and very successfully -- managed his future image. This research looks at Roosevelt's methods for doing this and their long-term effects. On the other hand, it studies post-2000 representations of Roosevelt, in order to assess deviations between the public image Roosevelt projected and the public image exists today. Show less
The Rhetoric of Two Museums and the Representation and Canonization of Modern Art (1935-1975): The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York Museums of modern art have... Show moreThe Rhetoric of Two Museums and the Representation and Canonization of Modern Art (1935-1975): The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York Museums of modern art have determined the course of modern art history. Their contributions to the representation and canonization of modern art have been shaped by how they have presented art in their (temporary) exhibitions and publications. They have provided the public with a verbal and visual story of modern art. In order to provide greater insight into the process of the creation of the museums__ stories, this book uses __rhetoric__ to deconstruct their stories of modern art. Rhetoric is used as an analytical model to investigate the communications of modern art museums. Their goals are to communicate their stories and to persuade their various audiences of the importance of modern art. The principal strategies of classical rhetoric ethos, pathos and logos are used as the main entries for this book. Two influential museums are compared: the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam). The differences in their goals, financing, audiences and positions in their societies, have determined their different persuasive strategies. By analyzing these museums as orators and deconstructing their verbal and visual rhetoric, the process of representation and canonization is clarified. Show less
This research is about the representatives of the count of Holland and Zeeland in the Habsburg period (1483-1558).The questions which are addressed concern who the representatives of the count... Show moreThis research is about the representatives of the count of Holland and Zeeland in the Habsburg period (1483-1558).The questions which are addressed concern who the representatives of the count were, how they acquired their office, what their duties were and how they performed them, and what this meant for the relationship between the prince and his subjects. In a society which could not yet fully function with strict rules imposed by the centre, the officers played the role of brokers, smoothing the relations between prince and subjects through the use of informal means. The first half of the sixteenth century saw a stricter living by the rules, formalisation of procedures and the separation of the different spheres of influence, slowly carried out and sometimes reversed again in a complicated dance between prince, Council and States. During that process the foundations which held the relations between sovereign and subjects together, the possibilities of princely officers to act as intermediaries, were gradually eroded. Those foundations were needed more than ever in a time when taxes, trade impediments and the prosecution of heretics caused most feelings of resistance among the subjects. When William of Orange led the Revolt in 1568, the count lacked a group of Holland officials who could form a successful counterpoise. Show less
