A Study on The Symbol of Man in The Selected Paintings of Ali Akbar Sadeghi According to Jung’s Psychoanalysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.A Graduated in Art Research, Faculty of Art, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

2 PhD student in philosophy of Religious Arts, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Ali Akbar Sadeghi, a leading Iranian Surrealist artist, creates dreamlike images full of symbolism and abstraction. Like other surrealist painters, he seeks to depict icons that occasionally and under certain circumstances got separated from the storehouse of the human unconscious and appear in their dreams. Studying the psychoanalysis approach, we aim to explore the symbols representing his paintings to provide a clear picture of his works. Thus, the question raised how we understand Ali Akbar Sadeghi’s paintings through Karl Gustav Jung’s psychoanalysis? We selected four of his paintings based on their subjects and other components such as the image of man, nature, etc. Finally, we conclude that all the symbolic elements gathered to express the fact that man and his world are one of his main concerns. Also, the existence of opposite symbolic elements in the artist’s mind, such as good and evil, continuously confront each other, leading them to illumination, felicity, or darkness and misfortune. 

Keywords

Cirlot, J. E. (1971). A Dictionary of Symbols. London and New York: Routlage.
Volume 3, Issue 5 - Serial Number 5
September 2021
Pages 101-122
  • Receive Date: 06 December 2020
  • Revise Date: 06 May 2021
  • Accept Date: 08 May 2021