A & P : Analysis of Chapter 9-Freud 10/7/09

I am also taking an introduction to psychology class this semester along with art and philosophy. I thought it a strange coincidence that both courses arrived upon the topics of Freud at the same time. Freud believes that at an artist re-presents a situation from his/her childhood as a reconfiguration in his/her art work. DJK posed the question; why are we more likely to accept gullibility when we are young? This question reminded me of a concept I had recently learned in my psychology class, object permanence. Remember back to the time when you were young. At a very young age if your parent put a blanket over a toy you were just playing with you would simply accept that the object is no longer there because you cannot see it. However, as you get older your brain recognizes that the object is still there. As our brain progresses, I believe our conceptual ideas and dreams gain more substance. Through psychoanalysis the hidden truths of the brain are brought about. Artists disguise a childhood wish within their art works to fulfill a hidden desire. This may be why audiences find art so gratifying. The hidden desires that we are all too scared to openly share are given an opportunity for exposure through art work. This gives Freud's theory on art meaning and importance to both artists and audiences.

As I discussed object permanence above, a question arose in my mind. If at a young age, our brains are in capable of comprehending things; should the age of an artist matter to determining whether the artist is fully capable of producing a work of art?