Freud and the Arts: Lecture I

[@beastpoet4335]

fascinating lecture, thanks!

[@gorgeous.george]

Aleksandar is phenomenal. Thank you!

[@sarahhajarbalqis]

An engaging lecture is a work of art... No matter the content.

[@SamanKeyhan]

what a lecture, I'm just happy that i can watch this through youtube

[@philiphammar]

What an amazing lecture. Thank you professor!

[@daneschumacher3392]

Thank you so much for allowing this insight into the classroom!

[@ArtHistoryTVOfficial]

Great to discover Stillpoint, our times need definitely a deeper approach to ouselves. Our Documentary Series "Freud and Art" may be of interest: episodes dedicated to Dostoevsky, Mahler and more

[@mobiditch6848]

Maybe from a “consumers” viewpoint, but early 20th century modernist art would never have transpired. The theory of the unconscious articulated in Freuds first three books motivated the entire history of art since. In fact the true adherent to Freud, Lacan, could be appreciated as the conceptual endgame of surrealism. Our lecturer seems to have abandoned the discovery of the unconscious to find comfort in the alien field of psychology. Obviously a desire to blur distinctions to some curious advantage. Yet, thank you for the series.

[@nadiafaraco3615]

I'm seeing your lecture from Brasil and as I'm not fluent in English language some times I miss the captions

[@nadiafaraco3615]

I miss subtitles.

[@leanmchungry4735]

A curious sketch of an abstemious Freud from Dr Aleksandar: he was never in love, never drank alcohol and didn't have sex until he was married at age 31 in 1886, then never again after 1895, after the birth of his sixth child Anna. Frederick Crews sifted through the 1500 letters between Freud and Martha Bernays, which reveal a different man, one who used cocaine from 1884 until 1899 for instance. Crews' portrait is so fierce a challenge to Freud's integrity, it is doubtful many Freudophiles could bare to read it, his objective was to bring the entire house of cards down, so there's plenty to analyse there.

[@matthewkopp2391]

I am sure many of the criticisms are accurate, but who cares. Such information usually amounts to an ad hominem attack from anti-intellectuals who refuse to engage in his actual ideas. Same thing happens with many historical figures Marx, Jung, Jefferson, Nietzche, Heidegger etc. there are countless examples. Ad hominem attacks do not have the power to take down Freud like a house of cards. He remains an important theorist and an important historical figure worth studying.

[@leanmchungry4735]

@@matthewkopp2391 Marx borrowing money from the proletariat to facilitate a bourgeoisie life style, yes Marx was a filthy character in many ways, but his brilliant critique of capitalism remains, as does Martin Heidegger's revision of being, despite being a Nazi and never atoning after the war. Frederick Crews was a distinguished Freudian literary critique, his work 'Freud: The Making of an illusion' confronts Freud's life and ideas, it is a long work that was difficult for me to finish, but it's extraordinary in its detail. Freud the artist remains, but not much else. However Dr Aleksandar's lectures are terrific.

[@matthewkopp2391]

@@leanmchungry4735 But I think that is a ridiculous statement that only Freud the artist remains. Transference was first described by Sigmund Freud who considered it an important part of psychoanalytic treatment. And not only is the idea in most psychotherapeutic treatments Freudian or not, it has gained near scientific consensus as a function of the brain via mirror neurons. And there are many other observations of Freud which roughly map onto our contemporary understanding of brain science. I also think many of the theories though not falsifiable still have great explanatory or descriptive power as to how humans do behave, at least some of the patterns of human behavior. I don’t think people ought to consider Freud scientific in the Popper idea of the term. But he was good observer, there is empiricism involved, it wasn’t just pulled from his hat.

[@leanmchungry4735]

@@matthewkopp2391 In Crews' account Freud the artist remains...but alas not transference as an original Freudian idea. You may care to read Crews one day, or not, but he builds his case over 750 pages . As for the scientific basis of psychoanalysis, perhaps 50% of contemporary analysts think they're scientists and 50% don't, now that's interesting, but rather than Freud's ideas coming from a hat, Crews would have them coming from thin air and cocaine.

[@matthewkopp2391]

@@leanmchungry4735 Perhaps I will one day, I am actually more Jungian in perspective and he gets even worse criticism. I studied at the International Psychoanalytic Institute for their summer course. I gained a lot from Aleksandar Dimitrijevic lectures. I am actually more interested in the theory as a cultural and phenomenological philosophy than a science, but I find the general self reflective practice the most valuable aspect. Meaning there is value in reflecting on one’s psyche, drives affects, sublimation, to come to greater self understandings of what it means to be human. I don’t need to isolate the practice with psychoanalytic tradition I gain from many philosophies. But I retain the judgement that today we live in a unreflective era, and these older theories are replaced by things like identity politic theory which is very much not reflective. When I read Civilizations and it’s discontents I see it as a basic view of our social realities, especially what happens politically. So I still value Freud.

[@lsdinua]

When speaking on Freud's addictions, how come cocaine isn't mentioned?

[@robertnorthup8583]

Weird Frued had an aversion to art and his Grandson became one of the most famous artist of all time

[@aurorakyrana1920]

Wow thank you!

[@gansat123]

As like any artist, scientist, Intellectual, Sigmund Freud was also highly sensitive - physiologically or psychologically...

[@MilanStojanovic9]

what do you have against color

[@guenzburghdcl7637]

Usual lemming stroking his ego , all this self pleasuring comedy gets tiresome eventually

[@mobiditch6848]

Guenzburgh Dcl this lecturer seems to have missed freuds fundamental achievement.