Chinhong Chang’s Dissertation titled “To Unveil
the Veiled: An Interdisciplinary Study of
Creative Process in the Works of
Piet Mondrian and Samuel
Beckett”
Table of Contents
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
1.1 An interdisciplinary
approach to understanding the arts.......................................................................
1
1.2 Why integrate Mondrian
and Beckett?...............................................................................................
5
1.3 An Interdisciplinary
Study of Aesthetic Ideas......................................................................................
8
1.4 Methodology.....................................................................................................................................
9
1.4.1 Investigating aesthetic ideas
through an understanding of vision and perception...........................................................................................................................10
1.4.2 Identifying artistic goals.........................................................................................................
11
1.5 Research
Sources............................................................................................................................
13
1.5.1 Artifacts...............................................................................................................................
14
1.5.2 Mondrian’s writings..............................................................................................................
15
1.5.3 Beckett’s writings.................................................................................................................
16
CHAPTER 2.
UNDERSTANDING NEW PLASTICISM...............................................................................
18
2.1 Abstract-real...................................................................................................................................
18
2.2 New Plastic (Dutch:
nieuw beelding)...............................................................................................
21
2.2.1 Source of the term “new
plastic”...........................................................................................
21
2.2.2 Principles of new plastic
aesthetics........................................................................................
22
2.3 The Style (Dutch:
de stijl)................................................................................................................
24
2.3.1 Inauguration and closure.......................................................................................................
24
2.3.2 Historical perspective............................................................................................................
26
Piet Mondrian’s
contribution and cubist abstraction..............................................................
27
Theo van Doesburg’s contribution and the influence of
Kandinsky...........................................................................................................................
30
Bart van der Leck’s contribution and the
monumentality of painting.......................................
33
Common grounds and
differentiation among the three contributors........................................
35
2.3.3 Philosophical grounding of de
stijl.........................................................................................
37
2.3.4 Aim of de stijl......................................................................................................................
40
CHAPTER 3. RELIGIOUS-CULTURAL MILIEU: THE
PROTESTANT
.......................... HERITAGE...........................................................................................................................
45
3.1 The Impact of
Calvinist Heritage on Mondrian..................................................................................
45
3.2 The Impact of
Puritan Heritage on Beckett.......................................................................................
53
CHAPTER 4. REDUCTIVE PROCESS
I:
.......................... MONDRIAN’S
EVOLUTION FROM NATURALISTIC
.......................... TO CUBIST..........................................................................................................................
60
4.1 The Naturalistic
Period (1886-1907)...............................................................................................
60
4.1.1 Influences of the tradition of The
Hague School.....................................................................
60
4.1.2 Classical academic influences................................................................................................
62
4.1.3 A dichotomy and
reconciliation.............................................................................................
63
4.2 The Modernist Phase
(1908-1911)..................................................................................................
66
4.2.1 .. Stylistic exploration: a journey
through symbolism,
........... fauvism and expressionism...................................................................................................
66
4.2.2 .. A new palette......................................................................................................................
68
4.2.3 .. Tints of theosophy...............................................................................................................
69
4.2.4 .. Themes and compositional patterns......................................................................................
70
........... Isolation of subject...............................................................................................................
70
........... Old subject new content: an
interest in form and
........... structure..............................................................................................................................
72
........... A departure from perceptual
representation of
........... subject matter......................................................................................................................
72
4.2.5 Intensification
leads to clarity...................................................................................................
75
4.2.6 Unity in
diversity.....................................................................................................................
75
4.3
4.3.1 Fascination with structure......................................................................................................
76
4.3.2 The path from naturalistic to
abstraction.................................................................................
77
4.3.3 The evolution of art as evolution
of humanity..........................................................................
80
4.3.4 The beginning of cubist’s
tendency........................................................................................
84
........... The logic of Cézanne, cubism
and new plasticism..................................................................
85
........... Contribution of cubism to new
plastic art..............................................................................
87
........... Dynamism of space-time
relationship....................................................................................
88
CHAPTER 5. REDUCTIVE PROCESS
II:
.......................... MONDRIAN’S
EVOLUTION FROM POST-CUBIST TO
.......................... NEW
PLASTIC....................................................................................................................
91
5.1 Post-cubist and
Plus-minus Phase (1914-1916)...............................................................................
91
5.1.1 Inspiration for plus-minus
works............................................................................................
92
5.1.2 Different manners of
abstraction............................................................................................
94
5.1.3 The path from post-cubist to
plus-minue works.....................................................................
96
5.1.4 An example of plus-minus work:
Composition 10 in
........... Black and
White.................................................................................................................
99
5.1.5 The emergence of new plastic
characteristics.......................................................................
101
5.2 New Plastic Period
(1917-1944)...................................................................................................
103
5.2.1 Plastic relationship—a
relationship of opposites...................................................................
104
5.2.2 A new spatial relationship....................................................................................................
108
5.2.3 The evolution of compositional
grid structure.......................................................................
109
5.2.4 Fusion of form and content..................................................................................................
113
5.3 Summary of New
Plastic Aesthetics and Perception.......................................................................
115
5.4 Theory into
Practice: An Analysis of a New Plastic Work...............................................................
117
CHAPTER 6. REDUCTIVE METHODOLOGY
I:
.......................... EXAMPLES FROM
BECKETT’S EARLY WORKS AND
.......................... THE
TRANSITION............................................................................................................
121
6.1 Waiting for Godot........................................................................................................................
122
6.1.1 The opening statement: “Nothing to
be done.”.......................................................................
122
6.1.2 Problems with the nature of
understanding...........................................................................
123
6.1.3 An obligation to express......................................................................................................
124
6.1.4 The communicativeness of Language:
fluidity or futility?........................................................
126
........... Dialogue with a child-like
quality........................................................................................
127
........... Language reduced to sound,
rhythm and structure...............................................................
128
........... Dialogue as language
game.................................................................................................
136
6.1.5 Uses of silences as artistic
means.........................................................................................
138
........... Silences as intensified
language of drama............................................................................
138
........... Silences accentuate futility
of action....................................................................................
139
........... Illuminating the presence of
absence...................................................................................
140
6.1.6 The grammars of visual
perception......................................................................................
140
6.1.7 The dynamic binary
relationship...........................................................................................
142
........... A relationship between
character pairs...............................................................................
143
........... A relationship between
before and after............................................................................
145
........... A relationship between
suspended and elapsed time...........................................................
147
........... A relationship between
while and meanwhile....................................................................
147
........... A relationship between the
viewer and the play...................................................................
149
6.2 Krapp’s Last Tape.......................................................................................................................
151
6.2.1 A possible inspiration for Krapp’s Last Tape......................................................................
151
6.2.2 Achieving expansiveness with
reductive technique................................................................
151
6.2.3 Exploring new medium, discovering
new dimensions............................................................
152
6.2.4 From physical confinement to interiorization of action...........................................................
156
6.3 The Transition................................................................................................................................
158
6.3.1 Presence of the absence......................................................................................................
160
6.3.2 The evolution of body.........................................................................................................
160
6.3.3 Reduction in theatrical
dimensionality...................................................................................
161
........... Undermining spatial
dimension............................................................................................
164
........... New media provide new
possibilities..................................................................................
166
........... Anatomical reduction.........................................................................................................
167
........... Absence as spatial
extension..............................................................................................
168
CHAPTER 7. REDUCTIVE METHODOLOGY
II:
.......................... EXAMPLES FROM
BECKETT’S LATE WORKS............................................................
169
7.1 Not I.............................................................................................................................................
169
7.1.1 Fragmentation of body and the use
of visual components.....................................................
169
7.1.2 Intensification as an artistic
means........................................................................................
172
7.1.3 The significance of light.......................................................................................................
174
7.2
Footfalls.......................................................................................................................................
176
7.2.1 The precision and aural quality of
calculated footsteps..........................................................
178
7.2.2 Exploitation of raw materials...............................................................................................
183
7.2.3 Recurring pattern................................................................................................................
186
CHAPTER 8. DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ARTS.....................................................................................
189
8.1 Beckett and the
Visual Arts............................................................................................................
189
8.2 Mondrian on New Plastic Literature...............................................................................................
199
CHAPTER 9. A CASE STUDY...................................................................................................................
208
9.1 Beckett’s Quad I...........................................................................................................................
209
9.2 Mondrian’s Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow, Black and
Gray..............................................
213
9.3 Four aesthetics
concepts................................................................................................................
216
9.3.1 Manifestation of dynamic
balance........................................................................................
216
The avoidance and/or
overriding of centricity......................................................................
216
Manifestation of dynamic
equilibrium through rhythm...........................................................
219
9.3.2
Ultimate reduction for universalization.................................................................................
222
9.3.3
Establishment of relationship through
differentiation.............................................................
227
.............................
Particularity and universality–two parts of a whole..............................................................
227
............................. Variations
of a theme.........................................................................................................
230
9.3.4 Expressing the presence of
the absence .............................................................................
233
9.4 An endless process
of exploration..................................................................................................
239
CHAPTER 10. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................
241
10.1 Towards an
Aesthetic of Reduction..............................................................................................
241
10.2 An Aesthetic
Relationship............................................................................................................
244
10.3 The Differences in
Aesthetic Goals...............................................................................................
246
10.4 Evaluating the
Validity of an Interdisciplinary Study
.................... Between Mondrian and Beckett..................................................................................................
279
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................................
253
NOTES..........................................................................................................................................................
279
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