When Freud was around in the early 20th century the male was considered the number one in society, women being the weaker sex, there to do the biding of the male- thus Freud suggests that in the 1st stages of development awareness the child is attracted to the opposite sex and senses rivalry with the same sex as themselves. (he called it the Oedipus complex) he believed that this complex is a universal phenomenon, from our evolutionary make up and is responsible for our guilt complex in the matter.
The dissolution of the Oedipal Complex (Freud 1977) pinpoints which this repressive structure forms and also discusses the causes for its creation. He (Freud) suggests that the male child wishes to replace his father in the family structure - he identifies the paternal figure as authority therefore by extension have relations with his mother, at the same time being fascinated by his penis he betrays the fact by playing with it frequently (Freud, Oedipus 316) This met with disapproval by authoritative figures, women and men alike.
The complex itself then is how to replace either the mother or the father without the loss of the penis through castration.
Freud suggests 2 outcomes= the child replaces the father and has intercourse with the mother or he might want to take the place of the mother and beloved by the father. (highly unlikely!)
He, Freud theories that adult subjectivity is determined by experiences in childhood and that any experience that differs from the Freudian norm are bound to have a very important bearing on the development of the individual.
Edward Munch Ashes This depicts the end of a love affair with the man in despair and the woman indifferent. The title Ashes refers to the burned out log that runs along the pictures edge (burned out love) or the death of love.
Munch Norwegian B.1863 D.1944 was tortured by sickness ,death, insanity, rejection, unhappy love affairs and guilt (a text book case for Freud).
In Ashes the feelings of death and despair are shown the work illustrates at least 3 examples of head trauma imprint and the need to support the battered head. The less obvious being the rock pressing the top of the scull in the right lower corner of the painting. Other rocks that symbolise skulls of death can be seen just behind the waist of the woman. The tree- the forest is dark and frighting the decaying tree on the left and the bottom are both symbolic of death. The body remembers early trauma and the hands would try and attempt to comfort the area that had been effected by the traumatic trauma although the person would not be aware of the previous trauma. The woman holds her head in sorrow.
A quote from Munch -" for as long as I can remember I have suffered from a deep feeling of anxiety which I have tried to express in my art without anxiety and illness I should been like a ship without a rudder".
Castration in seaside postcards (humorous variety)
(Small history of the saucy seaside postcard:- they became wide spread in the 1930s at the peak of their popularity the sale of these reached a massive 16 million a year. They were often bawdy in nature making use of innuendo and double ententes and traditionally featured stereotypically characters such as vicars, large ladies and small put upon men mostly husbands! Donald McGill was well known as the king of saucy seaside postcards he designed and produced over 12,000 seaside themed cards between 1904-1962. This then moved forward in the film and television industry with the likes of the Carry on films, Benny Hill, George and Mildred etc.
In this postcard the speech in the bubble reinforces the image of the man being the submissive partner in the relationship who has to seek the advise of his wife on the possibility of help from a doctor concerning his lack of sexual desire - which also reinforces the relationship by showing the domination of the woman (who humiliates him by the response that he is beyond help). This size relationship can be revised in the same card by the man being muscular and overpowering against the petite female ( the artist is then turning the cultural relationship of men and woman on his head!! Only exaggerating the difference would the possibility of such behaviour as depicted on the postcard drawing would be acceptable.
On the postcard above although the woman is large she has a number of children around her together with the newspaper head line and the (Lumme! - I must warn Bert!) suggests that as mentioned above the man is the dormant partner in this relationship. ( Or is he)!!
We now move to the cinema posters with the provocative female (the high heeled shoes, black stocking,suspenders, open top nurses uniform, long blonde hair, long legs sitting on a stool holding a newspaper with a suggestive headline. The background comprises of a Large letter X with more suggestive pictures behind. The colours of blue, black and white are bought forward in to the main theme of the girl the stool the blue under her foot and the orange at the bottom of the poster. This could be construed as a open invitation.
