Transformation through art: exploring Jung's view of art and the relevance of Charlotte Salomon's Life? or Theater?

ABSTRACT

This paper explores Jung's concepts regarding art, the significant role of creativity in his notion of individuation, and art's relationship to transformation. As an illustration, it introduces Charlotte Salomon – a German Jewish artist who was murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in 1943 – and her unique surviving opus, Life? or Theater? – a fictionalized autobiographical play-like work of art combining painted images, written words, and music. Applying Jung's theories as a lens, it broadly analyzes Salomon's work and considers it in light of Jung's distinction between psychological and visionary creative modes. In the process I reveal a potential material connection between Salomon and Jung, and argue that Life? or Theater? is not only artistically but also historically relevant to Jungian theory. By exploring Life? or Theater? in this way, my paper proposes that Jungian theory is a potent critical lens which can reveal a work of art's transformative nature and cultural significance.

KEYWORDS:

• C.G. Jung
• The Red Book
• Charlotte Salomon
• Life? or Theater?
• transformation
• art
• creativity
• individuation
• active imagination

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Lisa A. Pounders completed her MA in Engaged Humanities and the Creative Life with Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2014. Visual artist, poet, and instructor, Lisa is a student in their PhD in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies program, and lives in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.

Notes

1. The work consists of 211 gouaches accompanied by a tracing-paper overlay containing text, and 558 gouaches with text incorporated within the paintings. Its narrative is divided into three sections: a Prelude containing 211 pages, a Main Section containing 467 pages, and an Epilogue containing 102 pages, with subdivisions of acts, scenes and chapters. In addition, there are 193 unnumbered related paintings that are not considered part of the primary work. In total, 1325 gouaches and transparencies are attributed to the creation of Life? or Theater? (Belinfante, 1981, p. v.).

2. From this point forward the fictionalized characters are referred to by their first name, and the historical people they represent are referred to by their last name.