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The history and theory of visual art as the basis for shaping aesthetic thinking in contemporary art education

The dissertation will focus on a theoretical reflection on the position of history and theory of visual art in contemporary art education. It is based on philosophical-aesthetic and theoretical concepts of image, visual culture, and aesthetic experience, and examines how art history shapes students' aesthetic and critical thinking. The thesis analyzes historical models of art education and their transformation in the context of modern digital media and the changing status of the image in contemporary culture. Methodologically, it is based on a hermeneutic analysis of key texts in the fields of aesthetics, art history, and image theory, a comparative study of pedagogical models, and a critical analysis of curricular documents. The research will also include an analysis and reflection on didactic approaches. The aim is to create a theoretical framework for formulating educational strategies that will link historical reflection on art with current forms of visual culture and support the ability to critically interpret images in a broader cultural and social context.

The use of visual art as an instrument of recatholicization is a well-recognized historical phenomenon; however, its concrete manifestations in the Central European context remain insufficiently explored. This is particularly evident in the regions of the former Kingdom of Hungary located in present-day Slovakia. The topic invites new research focusing on the late phase of so-called “silent recatholicization,” from the end of the estates’ uprisings in 1711 to the Edict of Toleration in 1781. Research within this thematic framework may address visual art as a non-violent yet effective means of religious and ideological renewal connected to the consolidation of Habsburg power and the Catholic Church. Potential approaches include studying visual strategies and legal and institutional contexts. Special attention may be given to regions with a strong Protestant tradition, and the role of the diverse or complementary visual programs of religious orders that supported Catholic renewal in the eighteenth century as well.