Post-Modern Era P. 3 Team 4

Post-Modern Era Synthesis Question

Sigmund Freud was a great thinker during the 1900’s. He is most famous for coming up with ways to access the subconscious. Though most of his work went into analyzing the subconscious, he highly admired artists for their ability to merely access their subconscious through their art. Freud left a legacy of deep thinking and deeper meaning. His observations regarding art caused people to view art through a different lens; splotches of paint were not merely that, they could represent how that artist views the world, how he expresses his emotions, or how he connects himself to the world. Without knowing it, Freud had left an unbounded influence upon artists and their observers.

One artist that was influenced by Freud was Jackson Pollock. Pollock is known for his abstract art, oftentimes only painting what appear to be paint splotches. Freud would say that these so-called paint splotches are expressions of Pollock’s emotion, possibly conveying his anger towards someone or something. Most of Pollock’s work consists of paintings of people, but painted with a mixture of curves, colors, and textures. The abstractness of his paintings of these people may represent how Pollock feels about each of the individuals he came across; perhaps a dark colored eye representing an inner darkness within this person, or a jagged edge representing a harsher perception of this person. In one of his paintings, “The She-Wolf”, the true message of his painting is reflected through the darkness of colors used, the rugged lines, and the vague images of humans mixed throughout the painting.

Another artist influenced by Freud was Andy Warhol. Warhol was famous for his art regarding advertisements and celebrities. He painted famous celebrities in an assortment of colors. One of his most famous paintings was one of Marilyn Monroe-her skin a deep pink and eye shadow an electric blue. Freud influenced Warhol because he gave meaning to the different colors. The colors were not just chosen at random, each color represented how Warhol saw this person. The colors could represent Warhol’s perception of the person, the person’s emotions, or even represent a historic event. The meaning behind Warhol’s paintings is far deeper than bright popping colors.

Freud’s true influence was not only among psychoanalysis, or writers, but also among artists. He showed the world that the colors, the textures, and the lines artists create are no coincidence. The meaning behind these seemingly unconscious actions are actually a bridge to the artist’s subconscious.