post-modern synthesis Wyl.p5.t3

Sigmund’s Freud’s influence in the humanities extended to the paintings of Pollack and Warhol. Developer of ID, ego and superego, Freud’s research and monumental conclusions of the human mind were critical to the understanding of Pollack’s drip painting and irrational life style as well as Warhol’s infatuation with Hollywood.  Freud’s development of psychoanalysis gave new understanding of the unconscious mind and how one project the feelings of gratification and irrationally driven behaviors. Much of Pollack’s drip paintings and his abstract art was a representation of his bottle up mind filled with anxiety during the times of Modernism. Much of his need for instant gratification was assuaged by alcohol, which gradually led to his addiction. Pollack’s decision to undergo psychotherapy to mediate his needs, show that he acknowledged an unfathomable connection to his unconscious mind and how he portrayed that to art. Andy Warhol was influenced greatly by the hype of celebrities and Hollywood. His highly recognized painting of Marilyn Monroe embodies both his obsession with glam and riches of fame but also his own interpretation of Hollywood through the use of various color schemes and hues. He brought attention to everyday items like the Campbell soup cans and added his own twist and interpretation about them through his use of vibrant colors. Warhol, through his obsession, could seem like an artist simply swept up in his time of fads, but Freud’s research on the subconscious mind shows his overarching influence in Warhol’s depiction’s of his own world. 


Paulina Alvarez, Emily Teraoka, Angela Oh, Karen Cao