The aesthetics of decomposition : a study into the representation of the process of human decomposition within a fine art context, and its symbolic connotations to aspects of the human condition

Abstract

The aim of this research is to study the concept of decomposition and its symbolic representations created in the Fine Arts by a number of artists and writers to discuss aspects of the human condition such as loss and conflict. This study works towards the understanding of the process of decomposition in an artistic context, together with its historical and critical framework. It analyses how the concept of decomposition has often been used to represent the decay of society. In this study the concept of decomposition is seen as a phenomenon that erases what is dead and simultaneously keeps trace of what has been lost. It is a mechanism that removes but also remembers. There is also an evident struggle between opposites, and contrasts that describe the properties of the process. The study also examines the scientific process of decomposition in terms of its visual referents, that is the artistic transition from what we perceive as figurative towards what we term the abstract. In this study the researcher also takes the role of the practitioner where a body of work has been created based on the research conducted. Various materials and processes are employed to represent the numerous layers of erasure and keeping traces. The process of the practical work is developed on the idea that decomposition is the result of a previous composition and the agent of a re-composition. This research has proved to be challenging and demanding, yet has been a stimulus for further acquisition and production of knowledge through deeper study and further practice.