Wilfred Bion (1897-1979), a great British psychoanalyst, formulated the object relations theory, which informs us that through repeated experiences in our environment we form internalized images of objects, and those images would be later on reshaped and transformed by other experiences we may have. In this theory objects are people, or rather our internalized images of the people we have come in contact with in our lives. How we relate to these images, and reshape them to accommodate our shifting perceptions constantly changing the whole, is a demonstration of our tolerance to ambiguity (Greenberg and Mitchell). Bion also said that a psychoanalyst should approach each session with his patients “without memory or desire”. Applying this last concept to seeing images, or art, is an interesting proposition, and a rather difficult one. Is it possible to see an image without memory or desire? When we see an image, or an art piece, we see it through the lenses of our past experiences, socio-cultural background and education, so it would be impossible for us to negate these inputs and their influence. Part of this process is, sometimes, occurring unconsciously, without our active participation, which would make sublimating it very hard. With this idea in mind I visited the exhibition “An Opening of the Field” featuring works by Jess, Robert Duncan and their circle of friends and collaborators at the Grey Gallery in New York City on March 3rd, 2014. At first glance the arrangement of the art arrangement seemed too crowded and busy for my eyes to focus on something specific. The venue itself is small and works of different sizes, and technics, were displayed right next to each other with very little free space to rest the eye on. Pedest... ... middle of paper ... ...e Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle by Michael Duncan and Christopher Wagstaff, and Jess: O! Tricky Cad & Other Jessoterica edited by Michael Duncan. Chigaco, 05 12 2013. Duncan, Michael and Christopher Wagstaff. An Opening in the Field. Portland: Pomegranate, 2015. Greenberg, Jay R. and Stephen A. Mitchell. Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983. Held Jr, John. "Review: “An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan and Their Circle.” Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento." SFQA International Arts and Culture. San Francisco, 5 08 2013. Kemp, Stephen W. P. and Gerald C. Cupchick. "The Emotionally Evocative Effects of Paintings." Visual Arts Research 33.1(64) (2007): 72-82. Russeth, Andrew. "‘An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle’ at the Grey Art Gallery." Gallerist. New York, 25 01 2014.
· 1999: Private commissions (2). Continues to work on paintings for traveling exhibition, Visual Poems of Human Experience (The Company of Art, Chronology 1999).
...s Processes For Psychoanalytic Theory.” Psychoanalytic Review 100.6 (2013: 881-917. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 April 2014.
"Lynda Barry." Lynda Barry: Spring 2012 Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
DeWitte, Debra J. et al. Gateways To Art. New York City, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2012. Print.
Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout
The show’s organizers, Teresa A. Carbone (the museum’s curator of American art) and Kellie Jones, did an exceptional job of strategically placing the artwork in relevance and relating topics to one another. When I arrived, the exhibit was empty and I actually had the opportunity to meet Ms. Carbone, who was on hand at the museum’s entrance.
Shea, R. 2004. Marcia Myers: Twenty Years Paintings & Works on Paper 1982–2002. Manchester, United States: Hudson Hills.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
The White Cube Gallery in London is known for its traditional approach to gallery space, as the name of the building implies, and is the approach most galleries around the world take for displaying work. The white walled, highly lit design is what many consider the optimum way to view art (insert quote) but since the rise of alternative exhibition spaces, the ‘white walled gallery’ has been greatly challenged by media and artists alike (insert quote). Most modern galleries offer a neutral, private, timeless place to display and experience art but also creates a natural barrier between the audience and the art. Alternative and makeshift galleries are becoming more popular.
What makes us human is the ability to recognize the good in other people and in turn recognize the good in ourselves. There is a saying that whatever you think about another person is just a reflection of what you think about yourself; it is like looking into a mirror. Paintings can act like mirrors as well; we can gaze into a painting and see the good of the subject being portrayed and in turn we can identify the same attributes within ourselves allowing us to relate to the subject matter. Both Rembrandt and Vermeer were able to capture intersubjectivity in their paintings. In The Return of the Prodigal Son (Fig. 1) and Aristotle (Fig. 2) by Rembrandt and The Milk Maid (Fig. 3) and Woman Weighing Pearls (Fig. 4) by Vermeer there is an autonomy that can be recognized in the painting as well as within us.
Freud, S. (1957b). Some character types met with in psychoanalytic work. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 14, pp. 309–333). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1916)
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. N.p., 2014. Print.
In Confronting Images, Didi-Huberman considers disadvantages he sees in the academic approach of art history, and offers an alternative method for engaging art. His approach concentrates on that which is ‘visual’ long before coming to conclusive knowledge. Drawing support from the field of psycho analytics (Lacan, Freud, and Kant and Panofsky), Didi-Huberman argues that viewers connect with art through what he might describe as an instance of receptivity, as opposed to a linear, step-by-step analytical process. He underscores the perceptive mode of engaging the imagery of a painting or other work of art, which he argues comes before any rational ‘knowing’, thinking, or discerning. In other words, Didi-Huberman believes one’s mind ‘sees’ well before realizing and processing the object being looked at, let alone before understanding it. Well before the observer can gain any useful insights by scrutinizing and decoding what she sees, she is absorbed by the work of art in an irrational and unpredictable way. What Didi-Huberman is s...
Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: an Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2009. 92-115. Print.
Diarmuid Costello, Jonathan Vickery. Art: key contemporary thinkers. (UTSC library). Imprint Oxford: Berg, 2007. Print.