The Uncanny On the cusp of the Twentieth century we find an intellectual supergiant, dealing with issues that lay

at rest deep within the human mind. These issues are of lust, phobia, anxious disorders and quite simply human fear. From the analysis of his patients, Dr. Sigmund Freud was able to coin a term that would become known as The Uncanny1. This term would give us a medium through which to label and examine works of art on a more conscious level. This essay will apply this term of The Uncanny to two, perceived to be dark paintings to determine if Freuds methodology can help us to understand them more clearly. The uncanny can ultimately be viewed as a colliding of worlds, the sublime and experienced world of the ordinary, methodical and proven, pitted against the dark, ambiguous world of suppressed fears and inner terrors manifested through experience and evolved through inner perception. It is in this concept where we will take witness to an entirely new muse for aesthetic arts, along with an avenue of diagnosis in the psycho-analytical field. The concept of the uncanny would prove to be a force of inspiration, as well as a force of speculation that would ultimately lead to a unique genre across the arts, meant to induce speculation on personal fear and accepted norms. In the aptly titled manuscript, The Uncanny2 Freud establishes a linguistic connection to the term uncanny through his understanding of language. Ultimately Freud surmises that the term

1 2

Freud, Sigmund, David McLintock, and Hugh Haughton. "Heimlich." The Uncanny. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. Ibid.

uncanny, derives from the German word of Heimlich3 and its contrast of Unheimlich4. It is in this delineation that Freud himself proposes a dichotomy. The conflict being, that upon detailed examination the two words end up having very similar context and more often than not a symbiotic, nearly equal meaning. Through Freuds extensive case studies one clearly comes to the census that the uncanny might possibly be the worst adjective ever, as the term uncanny does little to describe anything other than that which is unexplainable. Freud himself highlights, The subject of the uncanny undoubtedly belongs to all that is terrible-to all that arouses dread and creeping horror; it is equally certain that the word is not always used in a clearly definable sense, so that it tends to coincide with whatever excites dread.5 It is in this swing of balance that the two paintings that we will examine, The Minotaur6 and The Nightmare7 spring to life and begin to move the viewer on a journey of anxiety. This anxiety leads to unsettledness in the viewers eye, in a sense we are seeing early attempts at shock imagery. That prays on our since of reality and comfort

The first exhibit of the uncanny through which we will engage is that of The Minotaur by George Frederick Watts. In this work, Watts touches remarkably on the perceived notion of accepted social norms. Upon first examination, the dreaded beast is stationed like an able sentry, gazing out across the top of the labyrinth as if he is waiting for something. Greek lore tells us of the Minotaur receiving his yearly virgins from all around the Greek world. The Minotaur that

3 4

The German language translation of homely This is a word used by Dr. Freud to show the opposite of homely, it is not an actual word but a term Freud correlates to The Uncanny 5 Freud, Sigmund, David McLintock, and Hugh Haughton. "Page 17" The Uncanny. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. 6 Watts, George F. The Minotaur. 1885. Oil on Canvas. Tate Britain, London. 7 Fuseli, Henry J. The Nightmare. 1781. Oil on Canvas. Institute of Arts, Detroit.

Watts displays for us is based on this myth, however one can clearly see this Minotaur looks quite human and Watts does well to diminish a menacing presence. The evidence of the uncanny is in the unexplained and the unseen, it is clearly in the observers experiences with the famed creature of lore. Watts does this intentionally by placing the Minotaur in a manner that is facing away from the viewer. Watts does a superb job of guiding the viewer to think that the beast is lost in thought. This adds a deeply humanistic feel to the work and almost calls upon our sympathies with the tortured beast. As we continue to take in the use of perspective and space our eyes are pulled to a delicate lifeless bird resting under his hand, clearly squashed under the pressure of anxiety and rage. Quite simply, Watts does a good job to induce fear in the audience of this work and supports Freuds claims about presenting two worlds, one of the moral consciousness and the other of an ambiguous and vague subconscious. The second work we will examine is The Nightmare, by John Henry Fuseli. In the painting we see lying sprawled across a bed, a female figure that appears to be in the midst of a nightmare or a terrifying dream. The creature sitting on her stomach is a grotesque-looking male demon known as an Incubus and in the background a fairly frightful looking animal that appears to be a horse can be seen. Both of these creatures are artistically symbolic of the nightmare. The legend goes that this demon preyed on women at night and would have intercourse with them as they slept. It is in this example we see another example of what Freud calls The Uncanny, where our dreams can actually be perceived and linked to psychoanalytical phobias and dread. The color palette consists mostly of dark colors, black, deep grays, shades of brown, and blood red, with the exception of the young woman and the bed which she is laying upon, which

are made up of more heavenly whites and gold tones. Fuseli's chiaroscuro8 style in addition to the centralized contrast between light and dark give the scene an eerie glow. Dripping with scandalous sexuality and cloaked in mystery. Yet there is more to this women we still dont know, it is apparent we dont have a context, we are not made to know her location, her condition or her circumstance so as a viewer we are left to our own rationale, and thereby begin to imagine of traits and events associated with the uncanny. Further interpretations read much deeper into the symbolic meaning of this painting. The woman with her pale complexion and white dress can be seen as a symbol of innocence, beauty and purity and that the position she assumes is an indication of her vulnerability. The paradox of this image is thus the demon sitting on her chest representing evil and destruction. A parallel can then been made linking this image of threat to innocence and beauty, as an illustration of the prevailing crisis that Fuseli and other artists saw within 18th century society. Almost like protest art, we get the use of exceptionally well placed imagery, positioned amidst geometry and perspective. These images are meant to meet the eye before the eye just as the eye meets them and act as a catalyst to uncanny perceptions. Freud mentions to us that aforementioned images of the uncanny, bring about a certain unfounded anxiety the anxiety stems from several sources; it begins with Watts inviting the viewer to engage the beast, almost expecting the viewer to sympathize with his thought and form a conclusion that was previously unattainable. We get the same feeling of anxiety while viewing Fuselis The Nightmare. This anxiety correlates directly with Freuds proceedings summarizing with, for animism, magic and witchcraft, the omnipotence of thoughts, mans attitude to death,

Italian painting term that lierally refers to dark and light tones.

involuntary repetition and the castration complex compromise practically all the factors which turn something fearful into an uncanny thing.9 It is with Freuds own words that we can find evidence of these dilemmas in The Minotaur and The Nightmare. The uncanny would also find a sort of breeding ground in bedtime stories as well as tales of myth and horror. Thus, multiplying upon itself, and becoming even more uncanny. The uncanny becomes a sort of evil library where we store images, experiences and fears drawing on mainly when we encounter something uncanny. It slowly melds itself into every facet of modern day life and acts as a reminder to the unexplainable. The uncanny therefore, is best described with The Minotaur, a beast of horror who originates from fear and lore suddenly juxtaposed into a society willing to cope with his anguish and eager to understand his thoughts, yet fearful of what anxiety it may manifest. It is also very apparent in Fuselis work, and we notice it when we first engage it. We find ourselves as viewers searching for context and reasoning in a fictional realm all the while captivated by frightening imagery. These artists do a brilliant job of straying away from color as pointing devices but rely solely on the richness of imagery. These paintings are complicated and dark and invigorate a side of contemplation that is rarely embraced in the modern art world. I find both of them delightful, fascinating and quite frankly, scary as hell.

Works Cited:

Freud, Sigmund, David McLintock, and Hugh Haughton. "Page 25." The Uncanny. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Freud, Sigmund, David McLintock, and Hugh Haughton. "Heimlich." The Uncanny. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. Location: EKSTROM LIBRARY book stacks (3rd floor) Call Number: BF109.F75 A5 2003 Fuseli, Henry J. The Nightmare. 1781. Oil on Canvas. Institute of Arts, Detroit. Watts, George F. The Minotaur. 1885. Oil on Canvas. Tate Britain, London.