Issues of ethnicity and class in the paintings of Mark Gertler

• Main Author: Parker, Trevor Richard
• Published: University of Sussex 2014
• Subjects: 700; ND0268 20th century
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.606093

This thesis will undertake a revision of art historians' critical appraisal of the paintings of Mark Gertler, in particular the issues of ethnicity and class which historians have claimed to have largely determined the development of Gertler's art. In doing this I will present a number of methodologies that reflect a social psychological perspective, in particular the critiques of Sander Gilman and his use of the notion of 'the other' within a Jewish historical perspective. Reflective of the psychological insight is the issue of class which although the thesis recognises it as a formal hierarchy, I will look at its subjective interpretation by using the writings of Henri Tajfel and his perspective on social groups and Angela Lambert's work in the realm of social linguistics as well as briefly discussing Basil Bernstein's perspective on social linguistics. The application of these methodologies will I feel render a greater understanding of the artist's difficulty in adapting to the social processes of the dynamics of the class system. The thesis will highlight what I argue is a valuable insight that these methodologies present to understanding in particular prior to 1916 of Gertler's 'Jewish' themes. The methodologies will be underpinned by referencing them to the primary source of the artist's letters and Gilbert Cannan's novel Mendel, based on Gertler's life.