Wen-Li Soong
\nDepartment of Psychology\u00a0Fu-Jen Catholic University<\/p>\n
Marion Milner\u2019s free drawing is a variation of the free association\u00a0technique, and the premise of which is that all verbal and non-verbal\u00a0expressions may carry a certain unconscious content. When one draws\u00a0with simple instruments with no themes and no sense of art intended,\u00a0there will be some meaningful expression in it, though one may be\u00a0unaware of it. This needs to be read analytically.The free drawing technique is similar to what is called \u201cautomatic\u00a0painting technique\u201d in modern art history, yet what is practiced in free\u00a0drawing happens not to be art, but rather quasi-art, or play. The work of\u00a0free drawing is not meant to be artistic, but to let the non-art people\u00a0express what has been repressed in a carefree manner.\u00a0In the past several years, the present author has led some of his\u00a0psychology of art (undergraduate and graduate) classes to exercise free\u00a0drawing. Two types of processes have been attempted: one with\u00a0supervision, one without. For the former, there is weekly
\ninstructor-student meeting, talking mainly about the work of drawing.\u00a0For the latter, there is only a presentation and discussion session at the
\nend of semester. A typical question raised in the discussion session was:\u00a0\u201cWhat the hell is it?\u201d\u00a0In 1996, guided by the present author and other faculty members,\u00a0the students organized a free drawing exhibition. The works for analysis\u00a0were turned into works of art. Some of the works were indeed\u00a0spectacular, but others were not. However, those amazing, interesting\u00a0works were not necessarily the ones that provoked the most profound\u00a0analytic interviews.\u00a0Barnaby Barratt\u2019s (1993) account for the free-associative method is\u00a0that it is precisely the process of \u201cworking through\u201d, nevertheless, he\u00a0further points out that \u201cfree association\u201d is actually \u201c[working and\u00a0playing] through and against the repressive discourse\u201d.\u00a0In reviewing the present author\u2019s adoption of the free drawing\u00a0technique, one may employ a psychotherapy model or an aesthetics\u00a0model, though they are quite distinct from each other.\u00a0In the latter part of the present article, the author raised 3\u00a0discoveries and questions, which may serve as the basis for future\u00a0discussions: The way of talking and the knowledge of psychoanalysis,\u00a0pictures that are closer to talking, and the formation of symbols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wen-Li Soong Department of Psychology\u00a0Fu-Jen Catholic U …<\/span> Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-134"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t