Consistently throughout the course, there have been a lot of noteworthy links between the psyche and an artist’s mental health and the work he produces. I think of artists like Goya and now Max Ernst who we just studied that had physical or mental ailments which thus explain the works they produce. Particularly with the genre of Surrealism, I found it interesting that the subject is centered on the irrational and the subconscious, a function of the mind discovered by Freud. Dreams were seen as inspiration, and questions like how do you dream? What color is it? drive the production of art. From Henri Matisse to Goya to Ernst, I find it fascinating that these men all had some sort of mental or physical ailment that largely contributed to their unique ideas as artists.
One thought on “Art and the Psyche”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I agree that it is very interesting how mental and/or physical ailments contribute and shape ideas. I would also argue that this phenomenon extends beyond art. I feel that while an ailment often perpetuates the uniqueness of an artist, ailments (generally speaking) can perpetuate the uniqueness of a person. I was recently perusing Facebook during my nightly procrastination session and I came across a video about a model named Melanie Gaydos. Melanie has a rare genetic disorder that affects the growth of pores, cartilage, teeth, some smaller bones, and nails called ectodermal dysplasia. As a result, she is bald and has no teeth – two characteristics that are not often associated with the archetypal model. However, Melanie’s condition makes her unique and contributes to her style as a model. In addition to being an inspiration to others, she has defined her own modeling career by her ailment – much like Ernst and Goya. Similarly, athletes with physical ailments who participate in what they love despite a clear disadvantage are defined by their ailments in many ways. I swam with a girl in high school who had set multiple world records in the paralympic games. Even though she had to enter the pool each day from a wheelchair, when she was in the water that was no longer relevant. Her ailment was once again a part of what made her unique. These are but two examples of non-artists who defined their uniqueness by their ailment and certainly much more exist.