Student 19

May. 4, 2000

Defining the Self

Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? These are all questions that are helpful in defining the self. However, its meaning goes so much deeper than that. It cannot be touched and it is not visible; it is not an object. The very essence of what we are is unexplainable. It is an extremely complex idea of what lies beyond the physical part of an organism. The self is often described as the spirit or the soul. Its definition cannot be found in a dictionary, but perhaps how one perceives their self is the most accurate description. Because there is not one exact explanation for the origin of our existence, many different groups have taken it upon themselves to fabricate their own idea of what the self really is.

In this Fine and Applied Arts course we have studied a variety of cultures, each with unique ideas and lifestyles. Through Freud and Jung we see a more scientific and analytical approach to discovering the self. Rile expresses his thoughts from the literary aspect. The largest group, those practicing Hinduism, take a more spiritual look at the self. Also, the fine arts are used to express the views of the Romantic period. There are a few similarities, but mainly differences in opinion between the groups previously mentioned. All in all, they do have on thing in common: each believes that beyond the physical body, deep within, lies something much more complex. To help us to better understand the various theories of the self art, literature, and music are used as wonderful mechanisms of expression.

With the rejection of classical art came about a movement unlike any other, called Romanticism. This age turned away from order and reason and focused on pure emotion and. Other aspects of the era included a concentration on nature and the concept of trying to capture divinity. Just like the self, Romanticism is impossible to define, but some developed their own proposal. Victor Hugo expressed Romanticism as “a certain vague and indefinable fantasy”. Walter Pater also took his own approach by stating it is “the addition of strangeness to beauty”. This new phenomenon touched so many people because it led society to find the depth of their self instead of relying on others to do it for them. Romanticism encouraged digging down inside of the body to discover feelings. To Romantics, these feelings are what code for the real self.

Between the late 1700’s and early 1900’a Romantic painting flourished. The art work defines the self in the most unimaginable way: visually. These portraits take defining the self one step further by painting a clearer picture; literally and figuratively. French expressionism especially took the ideas of nature and divinity and put them to work, creating some of the most emotional paintings of the era. Theodore Gericault, one of the premiere artists of the time, jumped right into the new, spontaneous concept by painting the Raft of the Medusa, 1819. It was based on a real event that occurred in the sea. A government ship was transporting slaves back to Africa as a horrible plague and storms hit. The commander of the original ship (not shown) received his position as he was related to someone of power. When the storm got worse, he tied a raft to the ship and placed 149 passengers on it. He then cut them off. Only fifteen of the people survived causing panic and outrage amongst the nation. The boundless energy and raging emotion are completely evident. The key characteristic that make this painting Romanticism in art is the concept of the heroic struggle. Those fifteen brave passengers were the heroes as they fought to survive. To define the self of the commander as well as that of he passengers, Gericault attempted to describe what made up the horrible events of that night. The dark night and stormy waves are symbolic of the commander’s viscous ways, and the terrifying feelings of the passengers. There are also a tremendous amount of diagonal lines which signify the confusion and chaos. The most unique aspect of the painting are the two triangles formed by a group of people moving upward and a group of people moving downward. This also causes astonishment and disorder. The artist put himself into the work passionately to show his own emotional ties.

Music was also used to express the spirit of the self as Jean Paul expresses, it “is like a lion’s tongue which tickles and scratches until the blood flows”. What better way to understand one’s emotions than to truly feel them through the use of rhythms and tones. By listening to Brahm’s Capricio opus 76 no. 1, one can feel the intensity of what he was trying to convey. This opus falls under the category of Weltschmerz, which means world pain. Its a very black tune, producing a sad and depressing mood. It also has irregular rhythms which are off of the beat. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for a finale. This song was probably a direct reflection of what Brahm’s emotions were at the time, as well as, what society as a whole was going through.

The Asian theory of the self is described through their religious beliefs of Hinduism and the cosmos. These ideas originated in India thousands of years ago during the Vedic period 1700-500 b.c.. This is probably the most difficult interpretation of the self because if you are not a follower of Hinduism it is confusing. These people live to find the self; that is the main goal of someone practicing Hinduism. They believe that we all are Hindu and that the events within one’s cycle of birth, life, and death are extremely important in determining their outcome. The self is not an individual possession but is the same as the universe: we all are one. Although we all are one, the way in which we get there is different for each person. All followers are different unlike those who are Jewish or Christian. It may take different amounts of time or different religions, but the grand idea is that we will all reach the Mokshe. Another aspect of this theory is the importance of the belief in reincarnation. This is the cycle which lands us at the particular place of life that each of us is at. It is a goal of the Hindus to fulfill the mission, whatever it may be. If the mission is not carried out completely, the person is said to have Karma. The less Karma one has the more unified and peaceful the person will be. However, if the person has Karma left, he or she will live again to try to fulfill the mission more perfectly. The expression of the self for Hinduism is that of a literary approach. The written word is their way of conveying to the world the ideas of the way of life. The Upanishads are the world’s oldest religious texts and most difficult abstract texts ever. They are so complex that no one could ever fully understand the origin of the self. That is why Hindus spend their life’s work on trying to discover who they are, where they came from, and where they will go; it is a goal they strive for in everything they do. This collection of works explains the cosmos, or individual self, as the Atman. Everyone has one and it may not be destroyed. The texts explain that a person is responsible for growing in self knowledge. The more you know yourself, the more you will understand the cosmos. This leads to the idea of Brahman because if you trust in yourself than you will realize your Brahman. It can be explained as “all that has been and all that is yet to be”. There are other texts also that explain the Hindu’s take on the self. Ramayana explains what the perfect world would be like; Rig Veda is the oldest of the vedic text and includes 1000 hymns; and Mahabharata is the worlds longest poem. These literary forms of expression take Hinduism and break it down into many pieces by thoroughly examining the goal of finding the self.

A more analytical and scientific approach of discovering the self comes from Freud and Jung. Their ideas are different but each spent his life on the path to discovering what lies beyond a person’s physical side and mental side. Freud developed a theory including what he believed were the three aspects of the human self.: id, ego, and superego. The id is explained to be the more spontaneous and animal-like instinct of one’s body. It is constantly at war with the ego, which is the ring master of the whole body. It try’s to satisfy each part of the whole. The superego is like the rule book within someone. It controls the morals and guilt. Freud explains if any of these three things are out of balance, there will be inner conflict. On the other hand, Jung believes the key to self peace and total unity is the self. It holds the entire body together, physically and mentally. He also explains that each person has a little extroversion and a little introversion inside of them. Some people have more of one side, while others have less of one side. He believes the inner workings of these different types are drawn outward into what is considered the personality.

Jung also conceptualized about four functions within a person that helps to create a whole person: sensing and intuiting, as well as, thinking and feeling. Although the two were not painters or musicians, these fascinating ideas can be read in many literary works.

Just like these different groups of people, I also have my own opinion on what I believe my self contains. Through a self portrait, I displayed my thoughts and feelings about what lurks beneath my skin. I started with a rectangular, three dimensional box. I am not a completely square type, so I figured that to be the best shape of my entire being. I made sure that I had four outer sides and one inner space. The four sides represented my physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health. The inside represented the depth of my soul, or the eternity of my self.

The physical side was covered in bright, outrageous shapes because of the confusion and exhaustion of my body. Recently, I have been diagnosed with several health problems so I signified my aches and pains with shriveled raisins and propeller-type objects. Next, I presented my spiritual side with an overflowing cup that was covered in holes. This showed the many things that I have not dealt with lately and how they are becoming unresolved.

I then developed my emotional side. This side was covered in diagonal lines and dark, contrasting colors. I have been an emotional rollercoaster lately so I signified the ups and downs with a complementary color scheme. I also created an hour glass because each day I am running out of emotions. Also, I glued a disk to it to show my overloaded spirit. Then, I created my most favorite side, my social side. I fabricated a sun with tremendous rays protruding outward, as I reach beyond myself to be with others. A swirl was used in the middle of the sun to signify the continuous growth and change of my outside involvements.

The inside is where the depth of my self leads to. I created it to look like a black hole. That is because I believe myself to be so deep and complicated that it never ends. It also contained a burning candle to signify the fact that there is a light within that never burns out. The most obvious part of my whole project was the dynamic red and orange fire ball. I believe that inside of me there is something, like a ball of fire, that is my motor and my energy.

Throughout the months of trying to discover what exactly the self if, I am still not totally sure. Each group has given a whole new perspective on my already existing knowledge of what makes a person tick. Freud and Jung took a scientific approach, while on the other extreme Hinduism and the idea of the cosmos took a more religious approach. I do not totally agree with any of the groups, but that is because I believe each of us has our own unique idea of what we are. It would be impossible for someone to truly understand myselfbecause they do not know every thought and feeling. However, one thing is for sure: I have come to a greater understanding about my inner workings. Before this course, I would never have taken the time to discover the real me. After many months of searching and studying, the most ironic thing is that I am not exactly who I think I am.