ABSTRACT
Evidence of the Oedipus complex appears in ideas and myths about art and in the behavior of artists and in the images they create. The first recorded mention of the Oedipus complex is in Sigmund Freud's letter of October 15, 1897, to Fliess, in which he also referred to the memory distortion resulting in screen memories. In the unconscious, gods, artists, fathers, and such derivatives as patrons can be interchangeable. Gods, artists, and fathers are creators, while patrons control the finances, or resources, of artistic production. Artistic inspiration is often thought of as "divine"; the very term "genius," originally referred to a divinity. Equating artists with gods in the popular imagination is the belief that both endow their creations with life. The pervasive theme of competition provides a window on the various and inevitable oedipal transformations in the visual arts. A genealogical approach to the visual arts raises the question of the first artist as well as the first image.
