Art & Art History ETDs

Kevin Wrigley

Publication Date

5-9-1975

Abstract

The aim of this M.A. thesis is to explain the reasons which led to the creation of a group of photographs which was begun in December, 1973 and continues to the present date. The first section of the thesis is devoted to reforming a theory concerning the creative process which was proposed by Sigmund Freud in 1915. In this section the underlying motivation for the creation of art is briefly discussed in light of modern psychology, existential philosophy, and the theoretical writings of Conrad Fiedler and Herbert Read on the visual arts. The main points which are analyzed are: the relation of phantasy to art; the part sublimation and phantasy play in the creation of art; and the method by which phantasy can be formally modified into a work of art. In this analysis Freud's hypothesis that art is ultimately art expression of wish fulfillment is accepted with modifications. The part of Freud's theory which is revised concerns the nature of the desires which the artist hopes to realize through art, and instead of the individual ones, i.e. honor, power, and the love of women, which Freud suggests, a single one is substituted. That desire is the wish to understand and contr61 one's environment. The philosophy of Albert Camus and the ideas of Herbert Read are then discussed in relation to this point. The second section continues elaborating on Freud's theory and concentrates on the way in which phantasy can be modified in order to achieve the desired goals of the artist. In this section the photographer's background is discussed, along with the way in which the photographs relate to Freud's modified theory of the creative process. The remainder of the section deals directly with the technique and formal elements of the pictures. The final section examines the subject matter of the work and the connection between art and the achievement of the artist's desires.

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Arts

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

UNM Department of Art and Art History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Thomas R. Barrow

Second Committee Member

Nick Abdalla

Third Committee Member

Beaumont Newhall

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