At Home: Representations of Identity through Portraiture and Narrative

Abstract

Portraits of my family and friends in their bedrooms and personal spaces investigate the way we construct our identities in the context of family and community and give physical form to my understanding of these abstract sets of relationships. Such images examine the relationships that constitute a family, suggesting coherence among those photographed.

The domestic landscape is an ideal site for autobiographical reflection and can reveal intimate details about those photographed. Color, furniture, and personal objects are symbolic suggestions of a relationship between the individual and their personal space.

My portraits capture expressions that concurrently disclose and question characteristics of the human condition. In the context of the series, the photographs closely relate to self-portraiture. Subtle expressions of anxiety or self-consciousness allow for empathetic exchanges between the individuals photographed and the viewer. An emotional experience is revealed. The images communicate varying degrees of intimacy alongside levels of detachment and vulnerability.

Notes

This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your thesis or dissertation, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by downloading and filling out the Internet Distribution Consent Agreement. You may also contact the project coordinator Kerri Bottorff for more information.

Thesis Completion

2005

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Sittler, Rebecca

Degree

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Program

Art

Subjects

Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic; Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Sciences; Family portraits; Identity (Psychology) in art; Portraits

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0021980

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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