The lost object and the act of creation

Judy Gammelgård

doi:10.1080/01062301.2019.1585679

The lost object and the act of creation

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the idea of the lost object and to throw light on its relation to creativity. The main thesis is that what is called the original or primary object cannot be considered lost in an absolute meaning. The original object is according to this author not lost, for the simple reason that it never was. In the beginning was only an encounter and so the lost object can only be said to be lost after the fact or afterwards. From this statement the author takes up the question of what this implies for a discussion of creativity and ask the question, what it is the artist creates or re-creates in his work of art, and how the idea of the lost object may throw light on the act of creation. The chosen example for illustration is Freud’s study of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Original language	English
Journal	Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review
Volume	41
Issue number	2
Pages (from-to)	82-88
ISSN	0106-2301
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/01062301.2019.1585679
Publication status	Published - 3 Jul 2018

Keywords

Faculty of Social Sciences
The lost object
creativity
sublimation
inspiration
Mona Lisa

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10.1080/01062301.2019.1585679

Cite this

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AB - The aim of this article is to discuss the idea of the lost object and to throw light on its relation to creativity. The main thesis is that what is called the original or primary object cannot be considered lost in an absolute meaning. The original object is according to this author not lost, for the simple reason that it never was. In the beginning was only an encounter and so the lost object can only be said to be lost after the fact or afterwards. From this statement the author takes up the question of what this implies for a discussion of creativity and ask the question, what it is the artist creates or re-creates in his work of art, and how the idea of the lost object may throw light on the act of creation. The chosen example for illustration is Freud’s study of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

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The lost object and the act of creation

Abstract

Keywords

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