ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses Jung’s favourable view of certain modern artists and confirms the qualities that these artists expressed in their art (i.e. they were able to express Jung’s notion of symbolism). Thus, identifying what it was, exactly, that Jung regarded Picasso’s artwork as lacking. Additionally, a brief study of Picasso’s Cubist enterprise is offered in order to demonstrate how Jung overlooked important aspects of the artist’s expression. Specifically, the figure of the Harlequin—a reoccurring theme in Picasso’s art, and also the figure that appeared to confirm Jung’s diagnosis of Picasso with ‘psychic problems’—is scrutinized. To conclude, an important essay by Michael Evans: ‘An aesthetic of the unknown’ is addressed. Evans’s discussion explores abstract art for its ‘unknown,’ ‘spiritual’ and ‘numinous’ qualities, and this is crucial in the investigation, for, as it is explained, Jung was particularly troubled by these qualities in abstract art. The concluding comments examine the reasons for this and the impact this had on Jung’s understanding of modern art in general. To end, a consideration of the far-reaching influence that Jung’s misinterpretation of Picasso’s art has had is also highlighted.
