The Psychology of Artists and the Arts

Download or read book The Psychology of Artists and the Arts written by Edward W.L. Smith and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers the first comprehensive examination of the psychodynamic theories of artistic creativity and the arts. Neither oversimplifying the complexity of these theories, nor bogging down in pedantic discourse, it honors the depth and richness of the work of Freud, Adler, Kris, Reich, Jung, and several lesser-known theorists, while making their theories readily accessible to the educated reader. After discussing the role of theory, the work offers each concept as a readily usable template for describing and understanding a work of art, whether painting, sculpture, music, dance, film, poetry, or prose. With these theories at hand, anyone interested in the arts will possess a far richer vocabulary for describing the artistic experience and a deeper understanding of the artist's creativity.