Through my bodies of difference module, we looked into the condition of hysteria, and how it effects sufferers’ abilities to function not only with day-to-day life, but also with the artistic process. Looking into this further, Christopher Bollas’s ‘Hysteria’ was so perfectly timed, and almost spoke about the hysteric’s tendency to have artist’s block better than I could articulate how I was feeling too. Below is my summation of the text;
‘HYSTERIA’ CHRISTOPHER BOLLAS (1999)
Bolas states that the hysteric elects to ‘perpetuate a child innocence as the core self’ by castrating personal achievements. Through this metaphor, he then extends his understanding of the hysteric through other aspects of a child’s experience and thus helps us to understand how a hysteric functions in the art world. Claiming that carnal interests are considered to be a distraction from art leads to the subsequent action of repression of such things, therefore the hysteric engages not in what it desires but talking about it, leaving it in the realm of the imaginary. The notion that art is more important than your body runs throughout this text as a result, revealing that the art world makes one more hysterical. This is explained through intentionally refraining from engaging with what the body desires in order to progress artwork, but often the art is saturated in that desire subconsciously.
Seen in terms of a relationship, Bollas then goes on to explain how the artist and their art can be defined as lovers-to-be. Initially, everything is going well and there is ever-increasing excitement, which could be seen in terms of finding inspiration through everything or that materials are responding and outputs are successful. Also, when there is a really good idea and it is executed successfully almost straight away, it is recognised that this doesn’t happen very often but when it does it is very good, much like a good relationship. It also explains, though, how the artist might hold back because they don’t view it as good enough. Therefore, the concept of the hysteric is almost inseparable from the artist. – a very reassuring conclusion.
lucyharlandart 