Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Hindsight in 2020

Murphy, Kenneth

Publication:
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Hindsight in 2020

dc.contributor.advisor	Colleen Keough
dc.contributor.advisor	Juana Valdes
dc.contributor.advisor	Robin Mandel
dc.contributor.author	Murphy, Kenneth
dc.contributor.department	University of Massachusetts Amherst
dc.contributor.department	Art
dc.date	2024-03-28T19:48:56.000
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-26T18:37:15Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-26T18:37:15Z
dc.date.submitted	May
dc.date.submitted	2020
dc.description.abstract	The paintings that comprise Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Hindsight in 2020 are the output of my research and artistic practice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. These paintings make visible the complex experiences and misperceptions of men in contemporary society. My intent was to create paintings that bring light to some of the darker aspects of manhood and rework phobias about manhood and male homosexuality through self-deprecation. This reworking is accomplished through the integration of disparate ideas and images, including perception, location, and exteriority, into compositions wherein representation and portraiture (specifically self- portraiture) make visible particular psychological states and hidden impulses attributed to men: the torment of failure, or the desire for power and sex. Autobiography and confessions can become the best mirrors for deeper forms of self-discovery. One can be both aggressive and protected while remaining effective and hidden. The work, charming or terrifying as it may be, questions the democracies of viewership, privacy, censorship and interpersonal relationships that can exist within a multicultural society. These paintings represent my own understanding of manhood, identity and sexual orientation; the ways one shields oneself from others, develops modes of self-preservation and transcends life's inherent suffering.
dc.description.degree	Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.7275/17632421
dc.identifier.orcid	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0139-4334
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/34052
dc.relation.url	https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1981&context=masters_theses_2&unstamped=1
dc.source.status	published
dc.subject	Fine Art Painting Men's Studies
dc.subject	Art Practice
dc.subject	Arts and Humanities
dc.title	Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Hindsight in 2020
dc.type	openaccess
dc.type	article
dc.type	thesis
digcom.contributor.author	isAuthorOfPublication\|email:kjmurphy@umass.edu\|institution:University of Massachusetts Amherst\|Murphy, Kenneth
digcom.identifier	masters_theses_2/979
digcom.identifier.contextkey	17632421
digcom.identifier.submissionpath	masters_theses_2/979
dspace.entity.type	Publication