Student 31

May 2, 2000

Philosophers and great thinkers have examined the self for years. The self is very important because it is a reflection of the ways in which individuals act and react in certain settings. To find the self is a part of human existence. Freud believed that to understand the self, one has to balance three different emotions, which constantly battle against one another. The unbalance is due to the id, the ego, and the superego. Depending on the person, the id or the superego usually dominates. Achieving wholeness by having a perfect balance between the three personalities can be difficult to achieve. A person mostly controlled by the id tends to be more outspoken and daring. However, someone controlled by the superego is not very spontaneous and is generally calm and reserved. A continuous cycle exists in order to form a complete circle of wholeness, which equals balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

Jung had a different approach to Freud’s theory. He theorized the idea of introversion and extroversion. This simply divides the self into two categories. Everyone is an introvert along with being extroverted. Understanding the self is what Jung feels is the greatest goal of mankind. The extroverted side or the introverted side is reflected depending on the situation. This coincides with the idea of Rilke’s literary work, “Faces.” Rilke demonstrates how everyone has a different face to match with all situations.

Nature is the strongest power according to Taoist beliefs. Water is even stronger than a solid rock. This is the basis for understanding and living in harmony with nature. Chinese not only respect nature greatly, but also use it predominantly in all paintings. The actual story of the painting is in the middle, but it is read from bottom to top. In the hanging scroll, Travelers among Mountains and Streams the travelers are extremely small because nature is so powerful. The mountains tower over the two travelers. Chinese believe that the self is not as mighty as nature.

Romanticism was an emotional turning point for artists. Music was the medium mostly used for expression. The music captures so many emotions which the self must learn to understand. Music is also a way to express emotions. The Romantics wanted to capture the atmosphere surrounding them. Therefore, conformity was not a respected idea. Composers such as Beethoven and Lizst believed instinct or intuition is what guides us all through life. Music was not meant to follow a set format. Romantics wanted to restore art, which was not included during Romanticism. Lizst wanted to create new forms of expression. In his Piano Concerto in E minor, the music is not harmonizing yet it jumps from quiet to loud to fast to slow.

Hindu is a way of life. Knowledge is the most important part of life because it is knowledge that must be understood before really understanding the self. Karma is the belief that good actions will result in good things. The soul never dies. It keeps appearing in different forms until reaching Nirvana. This is the ultimate goal of Hindu’s.

My self-portrait is a non-representational form of art. I assembled many items that I felt really describe who I am. The outside of the box is covered in material that is calm and feminine. The wavy lines demonstrate this idea along with the soft pastel colors. I used spirals to show the Hindu belief of the soul continuing to live. Spirals represent infinity and I feel that humans do constantly change and take on new forms. The main focal point of my self-portrait is the triangle. It brings balance to all of the different emotions that exist within me. The triangle is only an outline. The missing piece of the triangle represents how I am easy to read. I do not hide how I am feeling.

I let people inside to discover how I feel. I do appear very soft, almost understanding and emotional, but when you really dig and look deeper, I am very loud and outgoing. The diagonal lines are a clear symbol of the hectic life, which I try to keep up with. I always have something going on or somewhere to be. I am a very social person with too many activities going on. The glitter demonstrates the idea that you always leave a part of yourself and you always take something with you wherever you go. The glitter sticks to your finger when you are digging and I think that this represents my ability to leave an impression. From the outside, I seem very simple, just as the non-representational form of art I created, but as you look inside and you feel around, there is much more to be discovered. This is how most people are. Nobody should be judged, but the inside of everybody contains different textures and different emotions.