Leonardo Da Vinci, Dostoyevsky, And Michelangelo

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Psychological and dream theories inspired many artists as they strived to capture the conscious as well as the subconscious mind. Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s theory of personality is a combination of three systems interacting on conscious and unconscious levels: id, ego, and superego (von Unwerth). Located in the unconscious mind, the superego represents the conscience, and the Id is governed by instincts. The ego refers to self and attempts to harnesses the Id and superego. Freud analyzed three artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Dostoyevsky, and Michelangelo, as he explored psychoanalytical art validating his theory of the mind’s structure ("Freud, Sigmund”). The artists inspired by Freud’s theories became known as Surrealists. Using free-association techniques developed by Freud, artists were able to release their uninhibited imagination. They created artworks that challenged objective reality by illustrating a world without …show more content…

Some of his most famous works include David, a statue that served as a symbol of civic virtue, and the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a narrative of creation from the book of Genesis. Freud wrote an essay, The Moses of Michelangelo, in which he portrayed Michelangelo as the example of “Ego,” a personal identity based on his psychoanalytical theories ("Freud, Sigmund”). Michelangelo composed a collection of drawings referred to as “presentation drawings” which were given to friends. One such drawing, The Dream of Human Life, was a gift for nobleman Tommaso Cavalieri ("Attributed to Giulio Clovio."). In this dreamlike masterpiece, Michelangelo symbolizes the struggle of intellect and passions, in which he illustrates the deadly sins: gluttony, lust, greed, envy, pride, wrath, and sloth. Michelangelo creates a focal point of a young man who is surrounded by a life of sin and is awaken by an angel, a symbol of

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