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Description
HISTORY OF ART: THE 4TH OF NOVEMBER
- art, consciousness, and free association

Motto: "Art is one of the most important tools to explore and map our brain, especially the subconscious aspects of the Psyche"
Cover picture "The Procuress" by Gerard van Honthorst

Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: Gerrit van Honthorst; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname Gherardo delle Notti ("Gerard of the Nights"). Early in his career he visited Rome, where he had great success painting in a style influenced by Caravaggio. Following his return to the Netherlands he became a leading portrait painter.

After his return to Utrecht, Honthorst retained the patronage of the English monarch, painting for him, in 1631, a large picture of the king and queen of Bohemia and all their children. At around the same time he painted some pictures illustrating the Odyssey for Lord Dorchester, and some showing incidents of Danish history for Christian IV of Denmark. He also painted a portrait of the king's daughter Countess Leonora while she was in the Hague.

This part of the article has already been incorporated in previous articles, so skip it if you have read it before. If you are reading my articles for the first time please bear in mind that:
The role of each article I submit about art is to explore the phenomenon of human consciousness in conjunction with the brain's optimal functioning. Art can open the gate to our subconscious, along with rituals, free association of ideas, meditation, reflection, and dream analysis. As from now one I will make the exploration of the human consciousness with the help of art analyses more explicit. This process of psychological analyses is facilitated by reflection - which is such an empowering tool since it can help us to become mindful about things about ourselves we were not aware of.

I am sharing my reflections about art and psychology with you for the following purposes:
To emphasize the role of reflection in gaining self knowledge
To raise the awareness that our wellbeing and success in life depend on our ability to process information. This ability depends mainly on reflection, discernment, critical thinking, and appraising skills.
To explain how a specific piece of art can cast light on different aspects of consciousness. This implies symbol analyses, free association of ideas, and the ability to conceptualise what exactly the piece of art is evoking.
To inspire the readers how to perform comprehensive reflections. More practical information about this topic will come in time, especially in the context that the reflective process is the main core of all the articles I am writing.
Art and dreams have many things in common, so I use the same reflective tools in analysing art and dreams.
Whereas the initial reflections will not go too deep, in time, once information about brain, consciousness, and mind mapping is provided, the reflective process will be more comprehensive and practical. Note that once reflection is well mastered the ultimate purpose is to use it for spiritual meditation and phenomenological analyses.

Each article I write, whether about art or psychology, is a piece of a big puzzle of the brain and human consciousness. Gradually the articles d glue together different pieces in the attempt to construct a big picture or model of the brain and the consciousness phenomenon.

Reflection on Gerard van Honthorst

Psychologist Symington used the folloging metaphor to help us having an idea about the unconscious: 'You need to think of the unconscious as a deaf and dumb person whose only method of communicating is by drawing pictures... All the features of this interesting world remain unconscious until meaning is attached to them through words; at that moment they become conscious'. The aim of psychoanalysis, in that point, was 'to make unconscious, conscious'.

During this reflection I will use a psychoanalytic method called free association. In psychology free association is the expression (as by speaking or writing) of the content of consciousness without censorship as an aid with the purpose of gaining access to the unconscious or subconscious aspects of our psyche. The technique is used in psychoanalysis (and also in psychodynamic theory) which was originally devised by Sigmund Freud.

Freud described it as such: "The importance of free association is that the clients spoke for themselves, rather than repeating the ideas of the analyst; they work through their own material, rather than parroting another's suggestions"

Whereas free association is one of many techniques (along with dream interpretation) the fundamental rule is a pledge undertaken by the person who is performing the introspection.

Freud used the following analogy to describe free association to his clients: "Act as though, for instance, you were a traveler sitting next to the window of a railway carriage and describing to someone inside the carriage the changing views which you see outside."

Freud, at least initially, saw free association as a relatively accessible method for patients. However Ferenczi, another psychoanalyst disagreed, with the famous aphorism: 'The patient is not cured by free-associating, he is cured when he can free-associate'

Freud saw the unconscious as a 'storehouse' for forgotten memories that may or may not be remembered again. The unconscious was basically sexual in nature.

Jung's concept of the unconscious was far richer than Freud's. He referred to it as the collective unconscious and distinguished it from the personal unconscious stretch down into the collective unconscious.

Jung denied what Freud believed about the unconscious which was just a place for forgotten and suppressed contents and he assumed that there is the personal unconscious which seemed not to derive from personal experience and achievement but it was inborn.

By understanding the unconscious we free ourselves from its domination. The fullness of the world which till now pressed upon it has lost none of its richness and beauty but we gain more freedom in the way we relate to the world. A free consciousness is no longer preoccupied with egoistic and neurotic aspirations but is able to gain vision, insight, and wisdom.

Jung's method required the person to concentrate on the image or thought in question and to explore its inner possibilities by building up a series of closely linked images and symbolism involved. In his clinical practice Jung encouraged his patients to explore mythic, historical and cultural analogies and correspondences with their images or dreams, thereby embedding the latter in a symbolic way.

As promised I used free association to analyse Gerard van Honthorst, but I will not go too deep or too far.

A Few years ago I came across the works of Michael Cheval, a surrealist artist and I asked myself who inspired him. In the past I came across Gerard van Honthorst, but I have never made the association between the two. Also it did not cross my mind that Gerard van Honthorst and Michael Cheval have been influenced by Caravaggio.
So what do all these 3 artists in common?
- a fine sense of detail on a mastery level
- a predisposition to play with characters. Caravaggio plays with the characters in a dramatic way, whereas the other two created happier figures. (God bless them!)
- all of them have a very strong imagination - whereas there are patterns in their works/paintings, none of them look like others. Note that in future I will put a huge emphasis on the role of imagination in exploring the subconscious.
- the topics are highly catchy, they cheer you up. Even Caravaggio, who is so dramatic, has something uplifting.
- all of them are very sophisticated even when depicting the simplest objects and people. Such a sophistication suggests high intelligence and creative power.
- among them Michael Cheval is using free association in this art, putting together objects that usually they do not belong to each other
- Michael Cheval plays with light but does not introduce so much darkness in his paintings as Caravaggio and Honthorst. This is why Cheval's art is merrier and less dramatic.

Now I owe you articles about Caravaggio and Michael Cheval. They will come soon. If they don't come please remind me.

Note that I am not an English native, as I am from Transylvania. That is why I might make some grammatical errors. Do not be deterred by them. If you noticed them let me know and I will correct them - and the story can go on.

More detailed information about self knowledge and self improvement can be found on Medium site: medium.com/@dr.victor.bodo . Please subscribe if you are interested. Also feel free to share this article in the media - I think people will enjoy it, exactly as I hope that you did.

Description
HISTORY OF ART: THE 4TH OF NOVEMBER
- art, consciousness, and free association

Motto: "Art is one of the most important tools to explore and map our brain, especially the subconscious aspects of the Psyche"
Cover picture "The Procuress" by Gerard van Honthorst

Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: Gerrit van Honthorst; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname Gherardo delle Notti ("Gerard of the Nights"). Early in his career he visited Rome, where he had great success painting in a style influenced by Caravaggio. Following his return to the Netherlands he became a leading portrait painter.

After his return to Utrecht, Honthorst retained the patronage of the English monarch, painting for him, in 1631, a large picture of the king and queen of Bohemia and all their children. At around the same time he painted some pictures illustrating the Odyssey for Lord Dorchester, and some showing incidents of Danish history for Christian IV of Denmark. He also painted a portrait of the king's daughter Countess Leonora while she was in the Hague.

This part of the article has already been incorporated in previous articles, so skip it if you have read it before. If you are reading my articles for the first time please bear in mind that:
The role of each article I submit about art is to explore the phenomenon of human consciousness in conjunction with the brain's optimal functioning. Art can open the gate to our subconscious, along with rituals, free association of ideas, meditation, reflection, and dream analysis. As from now one I will make the exploration of the human consciousness with the help of art analyses more explicit. This process of psychological analyses is facilitated by reflection - which is such an empowering tool since it can help us to become mindful about things about ourselves we were not aware of.

I am sharing my reflections about art and psychology with you for the following purposes:
To emphasize the role of reflection in gaining self knowledge
To raise the awareness that our wellbeing and success in life depend on our ability to process information. This ability depends mainly on reflection, discernment, critical thinking, and appraising skills.
To explain how a specific piece of art can cast light on different aspects of consciousness. This implies symbol analyses, free association of ideas, and the ability to conceptualise what exactly the piece of art is evoking.
To inspire the readers how to perform comprehensive reflections. More practical information about this topic will come in time, especially in the context that the reflective process is the main core of all the articles I am writing.
Art and dreams have many things in common, so I use the same reflective tools in analysing art and dreams.
Whereas the initial reflections will not go too deep, in time, once information about brain, consciousness, and mind mapping is provided, the reflective process will be more comprehensive and practical. Note that once reflection is well mastered the ultimate purpose is to use it for spiritual meditation and phenomenological analyses.

Each article I write, whether about art or psychology, is a piece of a big puzzle of the brain and human consciousness. Gradually the articles d glue together different pieces in the attempt to construct a big picture or model of the brain and the consciousness phenomenon.

Reflection on Gerard van Honthorst

Psychologist Symington used the folloging metaphor to help us having an idea about the unconscious: 'You need to think of the unconscious as a deaf and dumb person whose only method of communicating is by drawing pictures... All the features of this interesting world remain unconscious until meaning is attached to them through words; at that moment they become conscious'. The aim of psychoanalysis, in that point, was 'to make unconscious, conscious'.

During this reflection I will use a psychoanalytic method called free association. In psychology free association is the expression (as by speaking or writing) of the content of consciousness without censorship as an aid with the purpose of gaining access to the unconscious or subconscious aspects of our psyche. The technique is used in psychoanalysis (and also in psychodynamic theory) which was originally devised by Sigmund Freud.

Freud described it as such: "The importance of free association is that the clients spoke for themselves, rather than repeating the ideas of the analyst; they work through their own material, rather than parroting another's suggestions"

Whereas free association is one of many techniques (along with dream interpretation) the fundamental rule is a pledge undertaken by the person who is performing the introspection.

Freud used the following analogy to describe free association to his clients: "Act as though, for instance, you were a traveler sitting next to the window of a railway carriage and describing to someone inside the carriage the changing views which you see outside."

Freud, at least initially, saw free association as a relatively accessible method for patients. However Ferenczi, another psychoanalyst disagreed, with the famous aphorism: 'The patient is not cured by free-associating, he is cured when he can free-associate'

Freud saw the unconscious as a 'storehouse' for forgotten memories that may or may not be remembered again. The unconscious was basically sexual in nature.

Jung's concept of the unconscious was far richer than Freud's. He referred to it as the collective unconscious and distinguished it from the personal unconscious stretch down into the collective unconscious.

Jung denied what Freud believed about the unconscious which was just a place for forgotten and suppressed contents and he assumed that there is the personal unconscious which seemed not to derive from personal experience and achievement but it was inborn.

By understanding the unconscious we free ourselves from its domination. The fullness of the world which till now pressed upon it has lost none of its richness and beauty but we gain more freedom in the way we relate to the world. A free consciousness is no longer preoccupied with egoistic and neurotic aspirations but is able to gain vision, insight, and wisdom.

Jung's method required the person to concentrate on the image or thought in question and to explore its inner possibilities by building up a series of closely linked images and symbolism involved. In his clinical practice Jung encouraged his patients to explore mythic, historical and cultural analogies and correspondences with their images or dreams, thereby embedding the latter in a symbolic way.

As promised I used free association to analyse Gerard van Honthorst, but I will not go too deep or too far.

A Few years ago I came across the works of Michael Cheval, a surrealist artist and I asked myself who inspired him. In the past I came across Gerard van Honthorst, but I have never made the association between the two. Also it did not cross my mind that Gerard van Honthorst and Michael Cheval have been influenced by Caravaggio.
So what do all these 3 artists in common?
- a fine sense of detail on a mastery level
- a predisposition to play with characters. Caravaggio plays with the characters in a dramatic way, whereas the other two created happier figures. (God bless them!)
- all of them have a very strong imagination - whereas there are patterns in their works/paintings, none of them look like others. Note that in future I will put a huge emphasis on the role of imagination in exploring the subconscious.
- the topics are highly catchy, they cheer you up. Even Caravaggio, who is so dramatic, has something uplifting.
- all of them are very sophisticated even when depicting the simplest objects and people. Such a sophistication suggests high intelligence and creative power.
- among them Michael Cheval is using free association in this art, putting together objects that usually they do not belong to each other
- Michael Cheval plays with light but does not introduce so much darkness in his paintings as Caravaggio and Honthorst. This is why Cheval's art is merrier and less dramatic.

Now I owe you articles about Caravaggio and Michael Cheval. They will come soon. If they don't come please remind me.

Note that I am not an English native, as I am from Transylvania. That is why I might make some grammatical errors. Do not be deterred by them. If you noticed them let me know and I will correct them - and the story can go on.

More detailed information about self knowledge and self improvement can be found on Medium site: medium.com/@dr.victor.bodo . Please subscribe if you are interested. Also feel free to share this article in the media - I think people will enjoy it, exactly as I hope that you did.