Art and Artist: Creative Urge and Personality Development

After Art and the Artist, how is it that the world has not shifted on its axis, how has it not revolutionized our understanding of human existence. Just glimpse around the book has gone all but ignored and misunderstood.To be sure the book is about art - artist - audience (aesthetic pleasure). But it is also a book about the human existential condition - domination of the social over the individual - our limited capacity of knowledge (i.e. personal epistemological doubt) - the indifference of nature toward human existence (i.e. ontological terror) - the possibility of overcoming these human existential restrictions.Actually, Rank articulates the impossibility of escaping socio-cultural domination, epistemological doubt, and ontological terror, in our corporal form. Hence human beings escape into speculation into non-corporal form, via the process of creation, play, and the pleasure of the aesthetic as a latent promise of, or possibility for, immortality.In the first four chapters Rank is dealing with the relationship between the individual and society. Rank argues that human beings always necessarily exist and develop in a social context; hence individuals necessarily develop a cultural consciousness. Once an individual becomes aware of their culturally determined consciousness, consequently cultural determined motivation, there can emerge an interest in the discovery of the self, i.e. who we are beyond our cultural determination.The Artist, much like the individual generally, is a cultural phenomenon. Her or his Art must begin and be articulated as a historical genre. At the same time Artists often attempt to reach beyond genre, i.e. beyond their cultural condition. This is the Artist's attempt to discover the self, beyond the culturally determined self.Chapters five through ten are historical and anthropological chapters. Here Rank is attempting to show that human beings have historically had a deep interest to understand beyond our cultural relativity, as an immortal spiritual self (importantly, Rank never claims this proves that the human soul is immortal, but more humbly, human psychological health seems to have historically depended on such a belief). The aesthetic expresses beauty, the non-corporal, and ultimately according to Rank, the possibility, and only the possibility, of immortality.Chapter eleven through fourteen are then addressing Beauty and Truth as beyond the culturally relative; why the Artist attempts to escape historical genres, while also being pulled back by interpretation as "genre"; why social success of the Artist is a type of internal and spiritual failure; and finally the urge toward creativity and the process of creation itself is an urge for personal redemption.It should not be forgotten this is a book of human social theory. Rank wants to understand the aesthetic from the perspectives of both the artist and audience, but also from a historical perspective or art history/genre, and from a philosophical perspective Beauty, Truth, and the urge for Immortality.

Otto rank was one of the most prominent disciples of Freud. His influence permeates important writings of the master like "Totem and taboo", "Moses and the monotheism", for example. When we read Ranks works we are not only penetrating the world of psychoanalysis, we gain insight into anthropology, sociology, psychology and art, in many aspects; this is because Rank had knowledge in all these fields. Besides, he was extremely intelligent, so much so that Freud decides to finance his studies. In Art and artist we should see some of his ideas and realized why he went apart from the master, overcoming him in many aspects, as Ranks's opinions about humankind conflicts were beyond the psychoanalysis realm.

At the end of this confusing, and often difficult to read, book the author puts forward the view on the last two pages that the human race should abandon art as something out-dated and work instead on personality development. Personality development? Imagine a world with no movies, no music, no TV, no art of any sort, just people sitting around "developing their personalities" in their heads. Give me a break. Despite Mr. Rank writing this 431 page opus of obscurity, he must not understand much about artists if he thinks they would be satisfied with a substitute of this sort. He misses the kinship artists feel towards their art, and the fact that often artists enjoy performing their art for its own sake, not merely for an interest in immortality. Artists enjoy the feeling of power that comes with creation, and they need the relief and catharsis that comes from creating something beautiful. Personality development could never replace this, since art is a means for the artist to express himself not create himself. In this little flaccid daydream of Mr. Rank's I detect a desire to have psychology replace art, since psy. is concerned with the development of personalities. In retrospect, thinking back over the previous portions of the book, it seems as if Mr. Rank's whole theory of art is constructed in order to make artistic creation seem identical to his theories; to make it seems as if art and psychology functioned by the same mechanisms. This made it easy for him to topple his own house of cards after its meticulous construction with one final blow. ***** I gave this book an extra star only because it had some interesting things to say about ancient civilization and the history of art. However, I am sure there are countless heaps of other books that cover the same subject matter more interestingly. I see no reason anyone should buy this book. It's certainly not what I was looking for. What a waste of money! ***** This book was written in the 1930's I believe. After 70 years I think it's save to say that Mr. Rank's sour obituary can be dismissed. Good art is still being produced and will be produced as long as human beings have the capacity to dream. True, there have been declines in the standards of art, but this doesn't not show a decay in the concept of art itself. Rather, there are two factors responsible for the decline. First, mass media makes the public more accessible to the artist. The culture is flooded with the worthless debris of talent hacks every year. But there are still great works being made. Second, the general trend of the public towards lower and lower taste makes for a bad reception of works of genius, and clears the field for the afore-mentioned debris. **** Beyond this there are many factors that cause different developments in art history. For instance, representational art saw a decline with the invention of photography, and abstract and non-representational art saw a growth in popularity. There have been long periods thought-out history, such as the middle ages, where art standards have dropped severely, but art has always emerged victorious in the end. Art has been with us from the beginning. It will be with us until the end, regardless of how wet blankets like Mr. Rank feel about it.

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Otto Rank couldn't write clearly. His ideas are simple and interesting, but buried under a thick layer of poor prose. (Was this a bad translation?)Is this guy destined to being a Freudian footnote (yes, Freud could write better!)

This is a very poorly bound book. The pages are falling out upon first use. Nice cover. Beautiful print. Bad binding.

Content is great, classic Otto Rank. If you know and like Otto Rank, it's great. I bought it when studying for my own enlightenment the world of Freud, Jung, Rank, and the psychology of creative artists. It seems to be a pivotal book.My used paperback copy had book mildew (black specks) on it. Rather than returning it, which seemed too awkward a process, I put the book in a plastic bag, then on the bookshelf with all the other books.

This book really is an eye opener to understand the artistic mind. It arrived well packed and super fast so the seller has clearly made and effort for top quality customer service. Nothing but good remarks to make. A** Thank you

Prompt delivery. Item as described

Es gibt kein besseres Buch die Psychologie des künstlerischen Schaffen zu versetehen. Das Meisterwerk gibt es auch in deutscher Sprache Kunst und Künstler! Ein muss für jeden Kreativen!! Bertram müller Düsseldorf

la traduccion me parece farragosa con parrafos largas impropios del ingles y lectura dificultosael titulo del lidro es art and artist de otto rank como cabria suponer

Much to dense to absorb - you need a Phd to read this