08776 - Psychology of Art (A-L)

Learning outcomes

The psychology of art, in our perspective, intends to provide, especially through reference to the categories of Freudian psychoanalysis, the necessary tools for the study of the major psychic mechanisms that govern the creation, fruition and critical, theoretical and methodological analysis of artistic works.

Course contents

First part - Institutional course

After explaining the perspective in which the discipline will be treated, the first lectures will deal with the major lines of a psychoanalytic theory of art and literature from a Freudian point of view, with some references to the late 19th century studies on hypnotism and suggestion. Special attention will be paid to the description of the reparation mechanisms associated with creativity.

Second part - monographic course

The second part will treat the identity in the relationship between the body and its representations, also for the purposes of drawing an overview of the psychology of portrait and self-portrait. They will be also discussed some psychoanalytic reflections on the cause of the perturbing and the mirror. Thanks to the presence of guests and "experts" during the lectures further specific issues of the discipline will be dealt with. Communication of these meetings will be made during the course.

 

Related activities

The course includes meetings with disciplinary experts, artists and curators.

Readings/Bibliography

Readings/Bibliography

Students who wish to take the examination (12 credits) are required to study a total of 5 texts, divided as follows:

3 general reference books (mandatory):

1. S. Freud, Saggi sull'arte, la letteratura e il linguaggio, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 1990 e sgg.(a selection of texts: https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/stefano.ferrari/contenuti-utili/11ef8bb6);

2. S. Ferrari, Nuovi lineamenti di una psicologia dell'arte. A partire da Freud, Clueb, Bologna, 2012.

3. A book of your choice among: S. Ferrari, Lo specchio dell’Io. Autoritratto e psicologia, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2002; S. Ferrari e C. Tartarini (a cura di), AutoFocus. Autoritratto fotografico tra arte e terapia, Clueb, Bologna 2010

2 monographic texts within the following options (avoiding any overlap):

Option 1 (Freudian texts): S. Freud, L'interpretazione dei sogni, various editions; S. Freud, Il motto di spirito e la sua relazione con l'inconscio, various editions, or La psicopatologia della vita quotidiana, various editions.

Option 2 (Autobiographical writing and Narrative Psychology): two texts chosen between S. Ferrari, Scrittura come riparazione. Saggio su letteratura e psicoanalisi, Laterza, Bari-Roma 2007; S. Ferrari, La scrittura infinita. Saggi su letteratura, psicoanalisi e riparazione, Nicomp, Firenze 2007

Option 3 (Portrait and Self Portrait): two texts chosen between S. Ugolini, Nel segno del corpo. Origini e forme del “ritratto ferito”, Liguori, Napoli 2009; S. Ferrari (a cura di), Il corpo adolescente: percorsi interdisciplinari tra arte e psicologia, Bologna, CLUEB, 2007; S. Ferrari (a cura di), Autoritratto, psicologia e dintorni, Bologna, CLUEB 2004.

Option 4 (Psychology and Medical Iconography) - two texts chosen between: G. Didi-Huberman, L'invenzione dell'isteria. Charcot e l'iconografia fotografica della Salpetrière, Marietti, Genova-Milano 2008; C. Tartarini, Quadri di sintomi. Immagini e scienze umane in medicina, Franco Angeli, Milano 2015; C. Tartarini, Il pennello di Cupido. Il dottor Meige e il mal d'amore nella pittura olandese del Seicento, Carocci, Roma 2017.

Option 5 (Outsider Arts): B. Tosatti and S. Ferrari (a cura di), Inquietudine delle intelligenze. Contributi e riflessioni sull'Arte Irregolare, "Quaderni di PsicoArt" vol. 6, 2015 (http://www.psicoart.unibo.it/quaderni-di-psicoart-vol-6-2015-inquietudine-delle-intelligenze-contributi-e-riflessioni-sullarte-irregolare/ ); W: Morgenthaler, Arte e follia in Adolf Wölfli, trad. it. Alet Edizioni, Padova 2007 o (a scelta) V. Andreoli, Il linguaggio grafico della follia, Rizzoli, Milano 2009; S. Ugolini (a cura di), La via più breve non è quella retta. Percorsi nell’outsider art, L’Harmattan Italia, Torino 2015.

Option 6 (Therapeutic Arts): A. M. Acocella e O. Rossi (a cura di), Le nuove arti terapie. Percorsi nella relazione d'aiuto, Franco Angeli, Milano 2013; R. Caterina, Che cosa sono le arti-terapie, Carocci, Roma 2005.

Option 7 (Neuro-Aesthetics) - 2 books of your choice among: J.-P. Changeux, Neuroscienze della bellezza, Carocci, Roma 2018; L. Maffei e A. Fiorentini, Arte e cervello, seconda edizione, Zanichelli, Bologna 2008; S. Zeki, La visione dall'interno. Arte e cervello, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino, o 2007).

Teaching methods

Lectures, projection and presentation of images, meetings with external guests, discussions.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed through an oral examination based on the books selection from the recommended bibliography (5 texts). The interview will assess the critical and methodological capabilities acquired by students attending the course and/or studying the texts. They will be particularly appreciated the students’ capabilities to orientate within the various perspectives emerging from the recommended bibliography, linking the Freud's Essays with the other texts. The evaluation will consider not only an objective acquired preparation of the core concepts of the discipline, but also the presentation skills and the use of a proper language.

To take the examination, students are required to register at the specific webpage within the set deadlines. Students unable to sign up by the set date are required to report promptly (and in any case before the official closing of the registration list) the problem with the student office. The teacher will decide whether to admit the student or not.

As established by the Dams Didactic Commission, it will be graded as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic view of the topics of the course, a proper and specific language, an original reflection and familiarity with the tools of analysis of psychology of art. It will be graded as discrete the performance of those students with a mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the discipline, non-articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities or the use of a not entirely proper language, as well as a too much conventional preparation of the discipline. It will be graded as barely sufficient the performance of those students with learning gaps, inappropriate language and a lack of knowledge of the tools of analysis of psychology of art. it will be graded as insufficient the performance of those students with learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyze the psychology of art.

Teaching tools

This course includes 60 hours as lectures with the use of digitized images. In addition to the seminars listed in the syllabus, interventions of "experts" of psychology of art or experts of other topics discussed in the course are planned.

Links to further information

https://www.psicoart.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Ferrari