TOWARDS ACCEPTABLE RESEARCH METHODS FOR A STANDARD BIOGRAPHICAL ART HISTORY THESIS: THE EXAMPLE OF PHD ART HISTORY THESIS TITLED CREATIVE INDIVIDUALISM AND PROFESSIONALISM: A STUDY OF PAINTINGS OF TOBENNA OKWUOSA

Abstract

Experience has shown that the formation of an acceptable Research Method for Standard Biographical Thesis has been a stiff academic work for most Nigerian Research Students. This problem extends to the Fine and Applied Arts students and it is severe on the Post-graduate Art History students a reason for which a lot of their theses are not found on the biography of Nigerian artists. Of the truth, a standard art history thesis on a Nigerian artist or artists would have shown the components of research methods as containing the real and sufficient information about data collection for the biographical art history thesis. It would have also shown the most appropriate research design for the study, and the method of analyzing data collected from fieldwork. The researcher therefore was motivated by the students’ inability to form suitable research methods for a standard biographical art history thesis to address the issue of “Towards Acceptable Research Methods for a Standard Biographical Art History Thesis”. The objective of this study is to examine the research methods of a standard biographical art history thesis via the research methods of the PhD art history thesis titled “Creative Individualism and Professionalism: A Study of Paintings of Tobenna Okwuosa”. The aim of the study is to establish the research methods of the PhD biographical art history thesis on Tobenna Okwuosa with the view of achieving the acceptable research methods for a standard biographical art history thesis. The findings are based on biographical survey of qualitative research methods and research questions which test the objective of the study. It adopts the historical survey technique which relies on primary and secondary source for the search of basic data. It was established that the components of the research methods of the PhD art history thesis titled Creative Individualism and Professionalism: A Study of Paintings of Tobenna Okwuosa contains the proper and adequate research methods needed for the formation of standard biographical art history thesis. Those components of research method include; Methodology, Method of Data Analysis, and Organization of the Study. Therefore the research method of the PhD thesis cited above has been established as the lead to the formation of acceptable research methods for standard biographical art history thesis.