Humour is the term for any message delivered through action, speech, writing or image, which produces a smile, giggle or laugh. Researchers of various profiles have been studying the topic since as far back as ancient times, endeavouring to place it in context. It seems that humour is culturally conditioned, integrated in the context of time, tied to social history, while it at the same time also serves as a key to cultural codes, given that attitudes towards humour (laughter), use in practice, as well as its forms and structures, are not constant but variable.
A sense of humour has probably existed in people since time immemorial – a tendency to laugh and relax is innate to human nature. Preserved records show that the role of humour in humans has always had a certain function – as a means to control people, as a tool of revenge, or as a release in stressful situations.
Humour can also be found in art and this is the area of research in my degree thesis. However, in order to understand how it forms, I also had to explore the theoretical aspects of the subject. With the knowledge gained, I have tried to give some guidelines on the role of humour in contemporary visual art and the teaching process today, also putting under scrutiny my own creative process.
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