Exploring Art: Freudian Analysis Using ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’
Art is an expression of the soul, a physical embodiment of the artists ‘psyche whereby the artists’ feelings and emotions are reflected. We can come to understand better the meaning behind an image and the state of mind of an artist upon closer examination of the image and we can accomplish this by employing Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic dream theory.
Art is similar to dreams in that the two are dissociative* experiences rooted in imagery. To better understand the connection, let us outline the major components of Freud’s dream theory. xxxxxx
Freud’s dream theory centers on the idea of dreams serving the role of wish fulfillment (Freud, 1900, p.103), meaning that what we see during our dream state is a manifestation of our unconscious desires in a more or less safe environment. These desires are presented in two different ways – the actual dream image (manifest content) and what said image represents (latent content)[1]. Both the manifest and latent content of the dream occur at once in layers. Only through analysis can the dreamer understand the meaning behind the image.
Right: Salvidor Dali, ‘Dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate a second before awakening.’ (1944). “What we see during our dream state is a manifestation of our unconscious desires.”
Freud also believed that humans are wild beasts by nature and that most of our unconscious desires and drives are hypersexual in nature (Freud, 1900, p. 98)[2]. This presents itself in our dreams through a plethora of imagery including phallic symbols that represent male virility and prowess, and vulva symbols that represents female fertility and femininity. This fits well with his assertion that dreams are a form of wish-fulfillment and that our unconscious is revealing itself in our dream stats. This occurs only because in our dream state our id-ego-superego are suppressed, and our desires may float about our minds freely without serious repercussions in the real world. These desires are too dangerous to experience in waking life, and are potentially damaging to our psyche due to their volatile nature, so, even in our dream state, our psyche protects itself by projecting these desires in masked imagery. For example: a phallus in a dream may be represented as a snake, a fish, a tree, or a great many other phallic objects (Freud, 1900, p. 384, 389)[3]. Similarly, the act of coitus is hidden in the image of a snake crawling over the body of the dreamer.
Now that we have familiarized ourselves with Freud’s theory, the goal of this paper is to present three paintings by three different artists and analyze them using the aforementioned dream theory. For each of the three paintings, we will be considering the following questions:
-What is the manifest content?
-What is the latent content?
-Is this image a physical representation of wish-fulfillment?
The first image to be discussed is ‘Bömischer Waldsee,’ by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, left (1911).
The image depicts a forested area painted predominantly with green and blue with a dash of pink and brown. Behind the trees lies a body of water, with faceless figures standing along the edge. Across the way is a field of grass.
Uncovering the latent content becomes quite simple once the manifest content is discovered. Keep in mind, that each image may represent a number of different things depending on individual, emotional state, life circumstance etcetera. Here we will break the image down into its individual components exploring the meaning of each one, before piecing them back together in order to better understand the image as a whole.
Trees can be divided into three aspects: the trunk which is masculine and phallic, and the bush which is feminine. The final component – the roots, invisible though they are may represent both the testes and the umbilical cord. The trunk, as already mentioned, represents the phallus, which must enter the bush, or vulva, in order to fertilize. With that in mind, we can speculate then that these trees represent fertility, the cycle of life. Following along these lines we are able to determine that the roots act as the life force, the unconscious soul of the forest if you will. Without the roots, the tree would be unable to grow, and the phallus would be unable to fertilize the bush. In this respect, the roots act as the testes of the tree since they are connected to the phallus, or trunk, and provide the rest of the tree with life giving nutrients. If we imagine the roots in a different way, and consider them as the umbilical cord instead, connecting the tree and the womb with the earth we are reminded of the concept of mother earth. The same conclusion is met with either idea – that the forest and the trees represent fertility and the cycle of life, but it is interesting to see how these images seem to represent multiple things simultaneously.
Right: John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope, ‘Eve Tempted’ (1887). “The act of coitus is hidden in the image of a snake crawling over the body of the dreamer.”
Following with this concept of the cycle of life, the next image in this painting is the body of water behind the trees, which is typically seen as a representation of emotional expression, health and life force. The image of water paired with the trees makes it clear what both represent. The water in this image represents all three: emotion, health and life.
We are able to conclude that this image is sexual in nature, in that it has a very strong connection with procreation and fertility. With that being said, the water ties in with emotional expression, particularly passion and intimacy in love-making. This is supported by the two bodies standing on the edge of the water. They are naked, and are positioned close together. Their positioning between the water and the trees is no accident. The subjects have either performed or are about to perform coitus. In that vein then, we can determine that the water also represents health, and life, in that the subjects have participated in the act of procreation. They are passing on their genes, and producing new life.
The imagery in this painting is rich and each individual aspect plays a role in forming the bigger picture. The basis of this painting is evidently life, and the life cycle evidenced by the main life giving force – water, and the active life-creating act of coitus. These images mirrored with the fertility image represented by the forest, makes it easy to determine that this painting is indeed one of wish-fulfillment.
One of the main goals in life is to procreate and perpetuate the species existence. Freud was not wrong in stating that man is a wild-beast. Although we have evolved over time and have developed higher-level functioning, it would be foolish to argue that we are not still driven by our basic needs: food, sleep, shelter and sex. With that in mind, an important aspect of our waking life is our desire for sex and all its positive consequences-closeness, intimacy, and partnership. Thus, Bömischer Waldsee fulfills the criteria for wish-fulfillment.
If we were to use this analysis of our painting and attribute it to the painter himself, we might conclude that this image was done during a time of loneliness or solitude, when Kirchner potentially felt a need for intimacy or the need to start a family. In order to conclude this with certainty however, we would need to do a further analysis of the artist himself, looking at a history of his life and work, and the development of his art and style. This is, of course, beyond the scope of this paper.
The next painting to be discussed is ‘Circle Limit III’ (left) by M C Escher, (1959).
Due to the nature of this image we will be performing a dual analysis employing both Freud’s theory, and Carl Jung’s interpretation of dreams. In order to do so, we must briefly present a general outline of Jung’s dream theory.
Jung, like Freud, acknowledges both manifest & latent content, but rather than asserting that the latent content is a hypersexualized form of wish-fulfillment, he considers it to be a sort of window into the soul. Jung believes that dreams are a way of communicating with and exposing oneself to the unconscious, and act as a guide for healing in waking life (Jung, 1968, p. 29) [4] In Jungian theory, there are two approaches to analyzing a dream. First, there is the objective, where each individual within the dream represents said individual in waking life, and second is the subjective, where each individual in the dream represents an aspect of the dreamer.[5] Further, he believed there are two modes of interpreting dream symbols – causal and final.[6] The causal approach reduces the symbol to something fundamental, and the final approach tells the interpreter additional things about the dreamer and his attitude.
Right: Carl Jung. Tracy Prescott Macgregor: “Jung believes that dreams are a way of communicating with and exposing oneself to the unconscious, and act as a guide for healing in waking life”
Although Jung acknowledged the universality of archetypal symbols, which he used in the interpretation of dreams,[7] he supplemented these with the concept of the sign. This approach needs to be explored in order to obtain an individualized interpretation rather than placing the dream into a predetermined conception, based on archetypes. In order to understand Escher’s Circle Limit III we will be incorporating Jung’s concept of mandalas in a dual Jungian-Freudian analytic approach.
Jung saw mandalas as the psychological expression of the totality of the self.[8] This is particularly because of the nature of the circle – it has no beginning, it has no end, if broken it can no longer be considered a circle, thus, it will always be whole. Therefore, a mandala may help to express the unconscious of an individual, particularly by analyzing what is found inside the mandala. In the case of Circle Limit III this would be fish.
Left: Stephen Parker, Ph.D, on http://jungcurrents.com/jung-mandala-ultimate: “Jung saw mandalas as the psychological expression of the totality of the self.”
Jung saw fish as symbolizing a deep level of unconsciousness, psychic happiness and energy (Jung, 1969, p. 142).[9] There are a number of archetypal meanings for the fish each specialized to the particular culture from which they are found. Jung, of course, focuses on the conception most attributable to his culture. Following in line with all of this we may say that Circle Limit III represents the continuous life cycle of birth and rebirth; the fish representing the feminine womb and fertility, and the mandala representing the life cycle ad infinitum.
If we take an approach more closely associated with folk psychology, we may conclude that the fish in their horde represent the collective unconscious, and the knowledge that is shared between individuals.[10]
Right: Australian Aboriginal motif- earth ghost connecting with female snake power, https://scotif.wordpress.com/tag/mandala/
Let us consider the image from a Freudian perspective. Freud believed that the presentation of fish in a dream represented the male sex organ (Freud, 1900, p. 392). Applying this to Escher’s image, a prominent masculine sexual desire is revealed. If the fish inside the mandala represent the phallus, then this would turn the mandala itself into the female vagina. Freud believed that vaginas were represented in dreams by circular and hollow objects, including boxes, cases and ovens (Freud, 1900, 389). Applying this to the image then, the mandala itself is the vagina and the fish inside are the phallus. The multiplicity of fish may represent the virility of the phallus, or multiple phalli inside the vagina. If we consider it from the latter point of view, this image then would relate back to pre-totemic and totemic societal norms where polygamy was prominent as it ensured procreation within the tribe (Wundt, 1912, p. 168).[11]
Considered from either a Jungian or Freudian view we are able to deduce that this image is a representation of wish-fulfillment. As argued previously in regards to Bömischer Waldsee, a prominent and recurring wish is for our sexual desires to be sated. This is depicted in this painting by the overtly sexual aspects in our Freudian analysis of phallus inside vagina and our tamer Jungian analysis of birth and rebirth. Either way we can argue that it is in fact a representation of wish-fulfillment.
The final image is by Polish artist, Zdzislaw Bekski?ski (left). It is untitled, as are all of his works.
The main subject of the image is a floating building in the sky with the form of a human face on the front. There are two yellow clouds found at the base of the building and a black cloud emanating from the upper right side of the building.
Ignoring the human face, let us first analyze the meaning behind the building. A building may represent shelter, protection and a place of hiding. According to Scherner, a house represents the whole of a person[12]. With a face projected onto the front of the building, one could argue that the building represents an unconscious conception or understanding of the soul. Consider this – it has been remarked that the eyes are the window into the soul and the head holds the seat of the soul, that is, the psyche which is found within the brain. If the house is to be understood as the whole of a person, then faced with the image of a face we may argue that the building represents the soul. Taking from Wundt’s Volkerpsychologie, we can attempt to apply his understanding of the soul to the image. Wundt differentiated between the corporeal soul – that which fetters us to the earth, and the spiritual soul – that which is celestial in nature, the psyche[13].
Considering the building is floating in the sky surrounded by clouds, we may argue that this is the image of the spiritual soul ascending into the heavens. The black cloud of smoke emanating from the side of the building could represent the destruction of the building, which in turn could represent the destruction of the corporeal soul, allowing the spiritual soul to complete its transcendence. Black typically represents the unknown, darkness, and death. With that in mind, the black cloud emanating from the building, or more appropriately labeled as the head, may be more closely associated with death. On the other hand, the yellow clouds below represent the heavenly paradise to which the spiritual soul is ascending. Yellow typically represents happiness, energy, life and warmth – all of which are attributes of a painless and sorrow-less heaven.
Right: Luisa Villavicecio, ‘Soul’ (2011) “Wundt differentiated between the corporeal soul—that which fetters us to the earth, and the spiritual soul—that which is celestial in nature, the psyche.”
This painting may represent wish-fulfillment but it is hard to determine. From a strictly analytic point of view it does. Religious and spiritual belief often involves some form of afterlife where the soul of the departed transcend to in order to continue living a peaceful and harmonious eternity. The artist does not leave much room for conclusive statements. It is difficult to analyze a painting with full certainty, when the artist himself does not know what his paintings mean. On the other hand, this could assist in our analysis, and help us conclude that this image is in fact a physical manifestation of the artists own confusion of his unconscious desires.
Left: André Masson, 1924. ‘Automatic Drawing’ (1924). “This could assist in our analysis, and help us conclude that this image is in fact a physical manifestation of the artists own confusion of his unconscious desires.”
Can we warrant the use of Freud’s psychoanalytic dream theory in the analysis of these images? Undeniably so. If art is the supreme physical manifestation of our dreams, and the unconscious desires found within, why, then, should we not employ a dream theory in our analytic approach? Further, Freud’s idea that dreams are manifestly hypersexual in nature is almost entirely true when the nature of man is considered. From primitive man to modern man today, the main biological goal in life is to procreate and protect the family – this, of course, has its roots in sexuality. Why then, would we deny attributing such a prevalent aspect of our waking life to our dreams; the soul of the unconscious?
By Taylor Bourassa, Contributing Writer
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Anthony Storr (1989). Freud: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
*Dissociation: “separation of parts of the personality, or discrete mental processes from mainstream of consciousness or of behavior with loss of integrated awareness and autonomous functioning of separated segments or parts.” (Dissociation. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissociation).
[2] Volkelt (1875, 23): “In dreams, as we are well aware, proceedings are especially unbridled in sexual matters.” (Freud, 1900, p. 98).
[3] “The branch had long since come to stand for the male genital organ” (384) “All elongated objects, such as sticks, tree-trunks and umbrellas […] may stand for the male organ. […] Boxes, cases, chests, cupboards and ovens represent the uterus” (389).
[4] “But in dream analysis, where the psychologist is dealing with expressions of the unconscious, they are very relevant, for they are almost invisible roots of our conscious thoughts.”
[5] Jung, C.G. (1948) General aspects of dream psychology. In: Dreams. trans., R. Hull. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1974, pp. 23–66.
[6] Jung, C.G. (1948)
[7] Jung, C.G. & Franz. (1968). Man and his symbols. New York: Dell Publishing.
[8] Jung, C.G. (1972). Mandala symbolism. R. F. C. Hull, trans. Princeton, NJ: University Press.
[9] “The fish symbol shows immediately what this is: it is the “nourishing” influence of conscious contents, which maintain the vitality of consciousness by a continual influx of energy; for consciousness does not produce its energy by itself.” (Jung, 142).
[10] Wundt, W. (1916).Elements of Folk Psychology: Outlines Of A Psychological History Of The Development Of Mankind.(Edward Leroy Schaub, Trans.) London: George Allen And Unwin Ltd.
[11] “Australian custom offers the clearest evidence. In the so-called ‘Pirrauru marriage’ of Australia, a man, M, possesses a chief wife, C¹, called ‘tippamalku’. Another man, N, likewise has a chief wife, C².This wife, C², is however at the same time a secondary wife, S¹, or ‘pirrauru’ of M. In like manner the chief wife, C¹, may in turn, be a secondary wife, S², of N.”
[12] Freud, S. (1900). The Interpretation of Dreams.(James Strachey, Trans.) Leipzig & Vienna: Franz Deuticke.
[13] Wundt, W. (1916).Elements of Folk Psychology: Outlines Of A Psychological History Of The Development Of Mankind.(Edward Leroy Schaub, Trans.) London: George Allen and Unwin, Ltd.
Sudha Ramakrishnan
August 19, 2015 @ 1:43 am
Wonderful interpretation of paintings through the Freudian analysis of dream. Art interpretation is such a vast field and new meanings keep emerging out from them. Well researched and well presented. Thanks for the info.
Stephen Daly Jolly, Sr
September 3, 2015 @ 1:01 pm
this subject is uniquely suited to one who has been a loose cannon for most of his life, including now. But I digress-I would like to know why, with this type of persona, I paint stoic, satiated, details of architecture.