The unconscious
The theory and ideologies of the unconscious were brought into recognition by the work of Sigmund Freud. The Unconscious is the part of the mind, which cannot be seen or easily accessed yet “the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see.” (Saul McLeod, 2015) This is because it shows the truth that lies deep within the individual. The only passageway to the unconscious is through dreams, Freudian slips and jokes. The unconscious influences the work of an artist. The unconscious of an artist can subconsciously slip into the work of an artist sometimes this can be seen through something unusual or unique in the artists work or a reoccurring motif that comes up in a variety of different works produced by a particular artist. However the interpretation of a work says something not only about the unconscious of the artist but it also reveals something about the unconscious mind of the analyst.
Harlequins carnival is an artwork by Joan Miro who was inspired by the unconscious so much so that he would try and access it through starvation. He would start his artworks when he was hallucinating. He even realised within his own artworks reoccurring motifs such as objects that looked like ladders or birds suggesting escape.