The origin of this research stems from an interest in the broad question of whether religious subject matter remains a viable concern for contemporary art during a period in which secular ideas are becoming increasingly dominant. After Constantine (280-337 AD) religious subject matter had been the major focus of European art. Belief was a given and therefore the problem of the representing the spiritual life which had characterized art forms in earlier ages was no longer significant since the idea of a spiritual life was taken fore granted.
The modernization of Western cultures, which accompanied the beginning of the nineteenth century, resulted in artistic styles, which challenged both the purpose, and representation of traditional religious painting, which adhered closely to established creed and doctrine. The consequence of this liberalism is reflected in the manner in which contemporary artists understand and express the concept of spirituality in far broader and more personal terms. As such they are considerably less likely to demonstrate allegiance with any one specific religion or religious doctrine. These shifts in spiritual understanding and the subsequent attempts of artists to visually represent that understanding in Western art history demonstrates that the process of expressing or approaching spirituality in art is a constantly changing field which is redefined according to different criteria in each era.
In the arts, the ‘medium’ in the usual sense, is the agent by which images are transmitted yet the last couple of decades have seen the rapid transformation of these processes. The speedy development of technology has resulted in the clear demarcation of ‘multimedia’ from other prior existing media. My research examines the inherent potential of multimedia specifically to facilitate numinous experiences and how these differ from what has gone before. Therefore, Chapter 2 commences with a necessary clarification of precisely how I am using the term ‘multimedia’ and ‘Numinous’ in this research. In Chapter 3, I examine how the term numinous has been conceptualized and represented through historical and contemporary culture in order to gain an understanding of this less familiar terminology. I look first in depth at different interpretations of the numinous as offered by Rudolf Otto, Carl Jung and Mircea Eliade. This critical evaluation is subsequently applied to the artistic case studies of Nam June Paik, Bill Viola throughout Chapter 4. controlled country known as Joseon.