ABSTRACT
Experiences with art provide pleasure because they unfold an erotic dimension that is extended in time and different from the sexual in its aim, in that it adds sublime pleasure. It exposes the effects of and on the body at work in art, and when it pierces through the ego's shell, it promotes in subjectivity a de-encapsulation of narcissism that also produces an awakening to feelings. Starting from psychoanalysis and its relation to aesthetics, the authors discuss the paths taken by love in art. The history of the relationship between aesthetics and psychoanalysis is complex and controversial in more ways than one. “The unknown masterpiece” presents an emblematic scene in relation to art: that of the agony and tremendous struggle that unfolds during the creative process. The pathos of creation of an artwork also contains a form of violence, as Balzac’s story reveals.
