Semiotic analysis of Anselm Kiefer's works and Its reflections on the fields of learning within art education curricula

Within the research, it has been aimed as the main problem of the work that Kiefer's artworks are analyzed within the framework of Neo Expressionism with the semiotic method and that the semiotics is utilized as a method in the field of learning within art education teaching programs. The problem of the work has been analyzed with 3 sub-problems. In the first sub-problem, signifier-signified relationship of Anselm Kiefer's artworks between the years 1970 and 2015 has been analyzed with a semiotic method. The analysis conducted has been criticized after being formed in six categories (Social Memory/Mental Transfer, Myths, Icons and Symbols, War/Destruction/Death/Disintegration, Meaning in Writing/Epic Discourse, Placement/Installation, Sense-Making in Visual Culture) and data has been acquired by means of the formation of indicator charts. Kiefer's artworks have been analyzed in the findings section with "three trichotomies of signs" of Charles Sanders Pierce, "indicator" chart of Pierre Guiraud, "indicator distinction" chart of L. Hjelmslev's, "actantial model" of Algirdas Julien Greimas, "denotation-connotation" theory of Roland Barthes and "signifier-signified" chart of Ferdinand De Saussure, who are all semiotics theoreticians. The data obtained within the theoretical framework has been assessed along with the data acquired from the findings which occur as a consequence of analysis. In the second and third sub-problem of the research, learning fields within the primary and secondary education programs and art teaching graduate and undergraduate programs of the National Education Ministry visual arts lesson have been reviewed in accordance with the area of utilization of semiotics. In the light of the findings obtained from the theoretical framework, class activity plan has been offered, which involves semiotic method related to the acquisitions of Ministry of National Education learning fields. Lesson recommendations have been presented in order for the semiotic method to be included as a lesson in the undergraduate/graduate programs within the Council of Higher Education. Focus group discussion which is one of the qualitative research techniques has been employed within the research so as to ascertain the areas of use of the semiotic method in the art education programs. A semi-structured focus group discussion form prepared by the researcher and consisting of 7 questions has been utilized. A work group has been created from the universities where there are academic members/lecturers who conduct a semiotic lesson in art education programs or who benefit from the semiotic theories within the lessons conducted. Codes and themes have been acquired by means of the analysis of the data obtained from the opinions of the work group. The data accessed as a result of the discussion has been analyzed with content analysis. As a consequence of the focus group discussion, a conclusion has been achieved by analyzing the findings related to the opinions of participants and by evaluating those within the extent of creating an effective lesson process for the acquisitions of the learning fields in the art education programs.