Throughout my academic career, I have encountered Sigmund Freud several times. However, his “penis argument” was new to me. I had never heard of this part of his Oedipus vs. Electra complex, and found his argument to be very…quaint. It was so interesting to learn how easily he categorized the world. For someone who had such advanced ideas in the 19th century that emphasized the experience and psyche of the unconscious individual, it is contradictory to have such a narrow opinion of male and female gender and sexuality. As D’Alleva says, his theories “reflect Freud’s experience of nineteenth-century bourgeois male culture, not the range of human experience.” He claims to understand and speak for all, but ends up missing so much. Freud places the penis at the very center of all of humanity’s sexuality, what we all apparently strive to have/attain, which consequently belittles the female clitoris and vagina. Which really, just exhibits the pattern and power of ‘the man’, something that has become such a dominant theme throughout our history.
It is interesting to study Freud within the discipline of art history, as he is usually more relevant within the fields of psychology, political science and philosophy. Additionally, his low opinion of women and their sexuality is an interesting component to add to art history, which already struggles with the lack of great female artists. So many women were denied access to education and artistic training, mainly because they were not wealthy white men. As D’Alleva mentions, Freud has had many critics for the great majority of his theories, but yet some of his arguments in art history remain uncontested, as he attempted to psychoanalytically explain great artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Freud’s approach to art history consists of psychoanalyzing the artist’s intentions, personality and works. Most art historians do not use Freud’s pathographical approach (with good reason), as it is incredibly difficult already to figure out an artist’s conscious intentions, never mind their unconscious intentions. However, it is certainly intriguing to read Freud’s attempts to understand these complex artists.