0.Introduction – aim and scope of the dissertation

Research on the preparation of diploma dissertations on artistic faculties

The survey[1] conducted among 20 individuals indicates that people outside the Academy of Art in Szczecin tend to think that during painting studies one does not prepare written dissertation, but only paints on canvas and reads books. According to the interviewees, the requirements during the studies are limited mostly to involvement and creativity.

According to the opinions, the students have much free time, which they spend waiting on inspiration. The interviewees define a student of painting as a person humiliated by the life, unwise, layabout, slacker, moonbat, slob, bum, introvert, psychopath, creator of an alternate reality. A person with a head in the clouds. It is also a creative person who thinks on their own, but cannot take criticism – although seemingly they take it into account. To study art means to get to know it by its roots, learn about its history, it also means to shape one’s own flexibility and identity.

According to the interviewees, the of a diploma consists of the discussion on a topic given by the supervisor – the person that is able to determine whether the prepared project is or is not art. The interviewees assumed that students of the Academy express a part of themselves in the diploma project, trying to make it useful for a local brand or studio. Instead of a written paper, the students attach notes to the prepared artistic or musical material. According to the answers, people think that during the of a diploma one has to present directions regarding future activities, necessarily introducing new forms to the market and expressing emotions. It is followed by the evaluation and, as claimed by the interviewees, the supervisor will do anything for the student to get a passing grade, while the critic will do anything to prevent that…

So is it possible to discuss anything one wants in a diploma dissertation?

After all, a dissertation has to be a scientific one, meeting a rigid form. I have encountered answers from everywhere, stating that it can describe anything that is related to art.

But what is art, basically? There are many definitions of it, they constantly change; nobody is able to precisely determine what it is. Therefore should I follow the definition of art proposed by someone outside of the artistic circle or the one proposed by a member of the said circle?

After all, what we do in the Academy is referred to as modern art. Combining the answers given by the people from the artistic community with those of people not involved in art, I get a common answer that everything is modern art.

What could possibly have an influence on shaping such popular and strongly rooted belief in all human beings? Is it some universal truth that everyone subconsciously feels? Or some flawed motive created in the collective consciousness?

Let me recall the popular Skoda Octavia commercial from 2009[2], which presents a smiling couple, watching an exhibition in the gallery of modern art. The couple looks at the watch and heads to the rack, where people gathered at the gallery stand and talk. The protagonist – a man, wades through the crowd and takes the clothing off the rack, then he hands it to his partner and politely helps her to put it on. They both exit the gallery smiling to each other, as if they were laughing at the people they pass by, then they enter the car showroom of the advertised brand. The scene ends with a comment from the narrator: “New Skoda Octavia, you know what is good…”. In this way, the mass media has established in the social consciousness the view that everything can be art and that people cannot distinguish between ordinary everyday objects and works of art.

The commercial was aired 10 years ago – in this period significant changes could occur, therefore it is worth overlooking what people think about modern art today. A reliable tool to research public opinion could be social media. I have already used Facebook to create polls, now I will extend to YouTube. It is one of the most accessible sources which enables analysis of the opinions of a wide cross-section of society.

After entering the tag “modern art”, I have found a video published on December 22^nd, 2016 that has over 250 thousand views and is named “THE TRUTH ABOUT MODERN AND CONCEPTUAL ART/THE WAR BETWEEN FAR-LEFT POLITICS AND OBJECTIVISM[3].”. The video is insulting to modern art. However, it has almost 8 thousand likes. After watching the video[4] I analyse the comments. Users of YouTube have posted the following statements:

“janusz 221136” comments:

“Modern art and contemporary art are two different things.”

“Michał Koczoń” comments:

“I’m glad that I have found this channel. I am actually working in the museum of modern art and I have to agree with everything that the author said. Many artists are in a nutshell “pompous assholes and snobs”, who do something just to present themselves during a vernissage and drink some wine with their friends “from the industry”. Great material. props.”

“Ester” comments:

“They do not understand my art, fuck them. This quotation perfectly describes your video. ;)”

“Jakub Trela” comments:

“True, true! If art has to evoke emotions, then the greatest art is to throw faeces at people”

So what makes people try to distinguish whether something is or is not art? Do I possess any specific tools to do it, unlike the users I have quoted? The statements presented above suggest that clear demarcation is undertaken mainly by people who are not connected with art.

The necessity to prepare a diploma dissertation allows me to verify popular views and raise the question:

Is it true that on artistic universities one can write about anything? Or maybe it just seems so?

On the basis of my perspective – that of a student of painting at the Academy of Art in Szczecin, I will consider the topic of my Bachelor’s Dissertation:

[1]Link to the survey,

<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kUY5SPY6Y96vkgE9-bUvZumqUOrS98lm/view?usp=sharing> [Accessed:

28.08.2019].

[2]Commercial Skoda Octavia Gallery, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zzEvtiXqc>

[Accessed: 20.05.2019].

[3]THE TRUTH ABOUT MODERN AND CONCEPTUAL ART/THE WAR BETWEEN FAR-LEFT POLITICS AND OBJECTIVISM <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgo1phznHk>

[Accessed: 20.05.2019].

[4]THE TRUTH ABOUT MODERN AND CONCEPTUAL ART/THE WAR BETWEEN FAR-LEFT POLITICS AND OBJECTIVISM <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgo1phznHk>

[Accessed: 20.05.2019].