["...that reflective gaze turned inward"].
The 1914 etching of Freud by Max Pollak differs from other portraits, firstly in that it shows him abstracted from the world and, secondly, because his antiquities are prominently featured. Links may be conjectured between his mood and such events of the time as the dispute with Jung and the Zurich group. Identification of the antiquities yields associations with aspects of Freud's working methods. An art work presents a different level of evidence from a photograph since intentionality plays a stronger role in it than structure. Consequently it throws more light on emotion than fact. The atmosphere of the etching prompts some reflections on representation and the uncanny. This article continues to argue the implicit case behind the author's preceding photograph studies: that iconography may provide a basis for writing history that can accomodate self-criticism and uncertainties.
Molnar
Michael
M
Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3, 5SX, England. michael@mmolnar.freeserve.co.uk
D004741:Engraving and Engravings / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D049673:History, 20th Century; D011173:Portraits as Topic / Q000266:history*; D011572:Psychoanalysis / Q000266:history