Presenter(s): Jacob Armas – The History of Art and Architecture, International Studies
Faculty Mentor(s): Jíří Ptaček, Sara Brock
Oral Session 4O
Research Area: Art History/ Humanities
Funding: Gloria Tover Lee Scholarship in Art History
Judy Fosdick Oliphant Scholarship in International Studies
UO Summit Scholarship
GEO Map Your Future Scholarship
SIT Study Pell Grant Match
SIT/ UO Scholarship
This paper is an exploration of how different generations of art historians, art writers, and curators think about, approach and frame Czech art of the Normalization era between the 1970’s and early 1980’s. While not always representing generational differences, differing personal and professional orientations among people interviewed allows for a fuller picture of this period, which is understudied in the Czech, and indeed International art historical discourse. In the latter case, this is because key texts have yet to be translated or are not readily available and, there is not a broader understanding of the artistic activity that took place during this time. Six structured interviews were conducted based on a standard set of questions developed from relevant secondary sources in English. This data was then analyzed in an attempt to see if and how the interpretation
of the period’s art has changed with succeeding generations. The paper makes the preliminary conclusion that with more historical distance comes more willingness to reevaluate the period and interpret its art in new contexts, but also finds some understandings are not affected by generational difference. Further interviews would provide a more defined frame with which to view the period.