The Psychological World of the Artist Essay Example for Free

The Psychological World of the Artist EssayAnalyse the mental humankind of the artist in relation to their artwork.An artists psychological world can take up a significant impact on their artwork, as is the case with some of the artworks done by artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol.Artemisia Gentileschis psychological world was greatly affected by her experiences as a female living in the seventeenth century where she would have faced inequality and sexual harassment because of her gender, in particular the incident in which she was raped by her drawing teacher, Agostino Tassi, which was made considerably more(prenominal) traumatic by the event that it was she, the victim, who was made to undergo torture to see if her story remained the same. Many of her artworks are depictions of scenes from the Bible or mythology, a common theme for artists of that time. However, Gentileschis depictions of these scenes are meagerly different to those of her male counterparts as she does not depict the women as passive objects. This can be seen in the artwork Judith be gunpointing Holofernes which features a Judith who is sawing at Holofernes head quite savagely and is not meant to be conventionally attractive.This painting of a strong, brave woman triumphing over a man rather than the other itinerary around, as was the norm for that time could be interpreted as what Gentileschi wished would happen to Tassi after he raped her, and it contrasts with depictions of this scene by male artists like Caravaggio, who depicts his Judith as being pretty and delicate-looking, with a horrified expression as she watches the blood spurt from Holofernes neck, as well as a blouse that was semi-transparent, showing a more traditional depiction of a woman whose main purpose in the artwork is to be gazed upon by men.Gentileschis psychological world is likely to have contained frustration at the objectification of women of her time, and her desireThe psy chological world of Frida Kahlo that is represented in her artwork was influenced by a bus accident she was in when she was young in which she sustained serious lifelong injuries, and many of the events that occurred later in her life, such as her tumultuous marriage to the unfaithful painter Diego Rivera, and her miscarriage. In many of her artworks, she depicts herself as scarred, or bleeding, tokenising both her physical and psychological pain. In her painting Henry Ford Hospital, Kahlo paints herself naked and bleeding on a bed, emphasising her psychological state after her miscarriage- she would have been feeling vulnerable and in a lot of pain, both emotionally and physically.Her artworks can be seen as a assay for her identity, in the context of her culture, religion and life experiences, as many of them are self-portraits that feature her dressed in traditional Mexican clothes with colourful ribbons in her hair, and a lot of symbolism. An example of this is her artwork Sel f portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird, where she again depicts herself as bleeding because of the necklace of thorns she is wearing, which could be seen as a Catholic symbol reminiscent of Christs crown of thorns as she came from a Catholic family, or maybe a reference to Aztec religious rituals involving self-mortification with thorns.She also has a monkey on one shoulder (a recurring symbol in eight of her self-portraits) which appears to be a pet or comforting presence because it is playing with the necklace. The black cat on her other shoulder is a more ominous, threatening presence as it looks as though it is about to pounce and its eye are a cold, uninviting grey. The juxtaposition of colour, and playful images with symbols of doom or death, and a bleeding body is a common theme in many of Kahlos works and has been interpreted as Surrealism however Kahlo denied this, saying I paint my own reality.Andy Warhols childhood played an important part in the formation of his psychological world and personality that led to him becoming a central figure in the Pop Art movement that took place in America in the 1960s. As a child, Warhol was diagnosed with St Vitus dance, which caused him to spend a lot of time bed-ridden with nothing to do but draw, listen to the radio and collect pictures of celebrities from magazines to pin tumbler around his bed.This constant exposure to popular culture would have been extremely influential in the development of Warhols later work, in which he depicted easily recognisable images in American culture, including celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, and everyday items like Campbells soup. In his artwork 100 Campbells Soup Cans, he explores the idea of mass production that was becoming such an important part of American culture, but says that he chose Campbells soup because that was what he had for lunch for virtually of his life.Warhols psychological world which was influenced by his childhood was depicted quite literally in his artworks- images of celebrities and mass-produced products like Campbells soup played a larger-than-normal role in his childhood in particular. Warhol clearly had a great deal and admiration and affection for these things, even going so far as to say I want to be plastic.Though all of these artworks were done in styles that were gaining popularity in the time that the artist was working, it was the artists psychological world that ultimately motivated them to create most of their artworks.