Sigmund Freud on the nature of artistic creation

When a person cannot do something in life, he does it in a dream. Sleep is the personification of our unfulfilled desires. The artist is like a sleeping person. Only he fulfills his desires in reality, recreating them in his works. When Freud wrote about the nature of artistic creativity, he paid special attention to studying the personality of the artist.

What is an artist?

The scientist compared artists with neurasthenics and children. The artist, as well as the neurotic, is trying to escape from reality into his own world: into the world of dreams and desires.

There is an artist - maestro. He is a master who creates his masterpieces. It is in the works that hide his hidden unrealized dreams. Unlike many adults, the artist is not ashamed to flaunt them.

Speaking of creativity, Freud paid special attention to literature. He believed that the writer himself was the center of attention, or rather his self-portrait in a literary work. And that is why the main character is given more time than everyone else.

Why did Freud, in his thoughts about artistic creation, claim that the artist was like a child? The answer is simple: emotional experiences awaken memories from childhood in the author. It is this period - the source of current desires, which are personified in the works.

Pluses of artistic creativity

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

The author in the works satisfies his childhood desires, which could not be realized in real life. Art is a great way of psychotherapy for an artist. Many authors, such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn or Gogol, argued that it was the art that allowed them to get rid of depression and evil inclinations.

Art is useful not only for authors, but also for the public. Viewing pictures and movies, listening to music, as well as reading new literary works — these actions reduce psychological stress and help defuse emotions.

There is even such a method of psychotherapy - bibliotherapy. It is rather a preparatory stage, during which the patient reads books selected on the basis of his problem.

Compensatory function of art

What does the author get when his work is popular? Money, love, and fame are exactly what he wanted. What gets a person who delves into any work? First of all, the feeling of pleasure. He for a time forgets about his problems and difficulties. The person is immersed in light anesthesia. For all his existence, he can live thousands of lives: the lives of his beloved literary heroes.

Art and Sublimation

Sublimation is the redirection of sexual energy in a creative direction. This phenomenon is well known to most people. Remember how easy it is to write poetry, songs or pictures when we are in love? It does not matter whether it is happy or not.

Another example of sublimation can be found in the life of Pushkin. Before the wedding with Natalia Goncharova, he had to be locked up for 3 months because of cholera quarantines. He had to redirect his libidinal energy to creativity. It was during this period that Eugene Onegin was completed, Little Tragedies and The Belkin's Tale were written.

Watch the video: Freud and the Arts. Lecture 1 (March 2024).

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