Zara Hering 

This thesis looks at the relationship between art and psychology, how they influenced and depended on each other through time. My initial focus is on the work of Sigmund Freud who developed theories relating to the unconscious mind, repression, and purpose of dreams. These theories inspired the Surrealist art movement whose art worked to create a visual response to Freud’s discoveries. This thesis then introduces us to Carl Gustav Jung who incorporated and largely valued the artistic process as a tool in understanding the unconscious mind and further, the collective unconscious. Through the exploration of the collective unconscious and its archetypes we begin to understand the depth in which art and psychology are woven. The performance art of Marina Abramović is used in this thesis to evidence the importance of both Freud and Jung’s theories regarding the dynamic between art and psychology.