preview

Hawthorne's The Artist of the Beautiful, Pollack's Stitches in Time, and Jung's The Spirit Man, Art and Literature

Better Essays

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Artist of the Beautiful, Barbara Pollack's Stitches in Time, and Car Jung's The Spirit Man, Art and Literature

The artist has been a mystery to many of us: unexplainably driven in his work; seemingly unconcerned with any other aspects of his life; often oblivious to the world around him. The artists in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Artist of the Beautiful," Barbara Pollack's "Stitches in time," and Carl Jung's "The Spirit in Man, Art, and Literature" represent some or all of these characteristics. I decided to base this paper on these readings because I found the ideas presented in them interesting and worth exploring.

Jung writes a very interesting piece that examines the artist's source of creativity. …show more content…

Because these women and their families live in poverty there are no materials set aside for quilting. They use mainly worn-out work clothes and produce many ingenious patterns and styles. Unlike Warland they do not have to prove themselves to anyone and work without pressure, willingly and happily on their quilts. This does not mean, of course, that Warland viewed his art as a chore. By no means! It was time consuming and intense work but something he was determined to pursue and accomplish.
It is important to note the distinctions between the artists. Hawthorne's and Jung's artists fit perfectly the perceptions presented in the introduction while the women of Gee's Bend are the exact opposite. For the women, art fits into their day; for Hawthorne's and Jung's artists, life has to fit into their art.

Jung states that "an artist [he] is nothing but his work, and not a human being (para 156)." For Warland this is true. He fluctuates between periods of intense activity working on his creation and periods of deep brooding and greatly diminished drive and zeal. He often needs a reminder to rekindle his interest in making his "beautiful." Whenever Warland was involved in his work he became the epitome of Jung's artist: his art seizes him and makes him his instrument (para 157) and he pays dearly for his
"divine gift of creative fire (paral58)" through his diminishing health and the frustrations he

Get Access