As an honours student in the SPI studio at Sydney College of the Arts I was required to write a research paper to complement my artistic practice. The aim for this paper was to present the major themes of my work and to ground my practice in a larger conceptual framework. The main thrust of my paper was an exploration of catharsis in art.
The paper is split into three chapters: “Making art to experience catharsis”, “Making art to provide catharsis for others” and “Catharsis and transcendence”. In each chapter I address the work of two artists whose work can be interpreted in relation to the theme of catharsis before expounding some of my own work.
This paper was a wonderful opportunity to write about several influential artists whose work I greatly admire and to detail the influence they have played in my conceptual development. It has also been invaluable in helping me to appreciate the direction my own work is currently heading in.
As I mentioned recently, my appreciation for the written communication and elucidation of my conceptual concerns has greatly increased. As such, I present, for your pleasure and enlightenment, the full transcript of my research paper:
Tom Isaacs 