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Dominican University of California

The Book as a Cultural Object: Exploring the Symbolism of Artist's Books

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Contemporary artists books developed as part of the Conceptual art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. This is a complex, intellectual art form, and in many instances these works of art do not necessarily resemble a traditional book. Artists use the cultural symbolism associated with reading, writing, and printed material to make works of art in various formats. These can be sculp­tures, or installations, or even performance pieces. The genre also includes works that do resemble traditional books. In this instance, artists are exploring how the interaction of text, image, typography, and design interact to effect the meaning of a book. This thesis explores the history of the book to see how the symbolic meanings associated with religion, politics, immortality and power developed, and how artists combine the history of the book with contemporary social issues to make works of art.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Master's Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Humanities
Year
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Harrington, Diana L.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Leslie Ross, PhD
  • James Mullane, PhD

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholar.dominican.edu:humanities-print-theses-1248

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Dominican University of California
Base URL
scholar.dominican.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Harrington, Diana L.. The Book as a Cultural Object: Exploring the Symbolism of Artist's Books. Master's Thesis thesis, 2005. https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/249