The blinding instinct

Restricted until 08 Aug. 2011. This dissertation examines historical recurrences of antipathies towards image making that have fueled many of the most important currents in art for the past century. The Russian Avant-Garde, Modernism, and Conceptualism are a few of the most important drives in 20th Century art that have sought to excise representation as dominant modes. Artistic movements away from representation have most often been discussed as motivated by art’s own evolution; however, there are notable external parallels. These art-historical trends will be presented against the backdrop of historical iconoclastic movements, emphasizing political and religious motivations. Through vandalism, art has been the subject of attacks that emphasize the potency of offending images. More interestingly, dogmatic policy for or against the creation of imagery offers insight into the anxieties surrounding representation. This paper will explore the ways these deeply ingrained conflicts have incited work that grapples with representational conventions in the pursuit of the un-representable