Carl Jung described the dangerous psychological dynamics of creative energy: “The unborn work in the psyche of the artist is a force of nature that achieves its end regardless of the personal fate of the man who is its vehicle”.  This is evident in the life of Jean Michel Basquiat, one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. And in his wildly intuitive way, and while still a teenager, he knew exactly what was in store: “I’m going to be famous and I’m going to die young.”  Basquiat’s extraordinary access to the ecstatic and destructive powers of creation extracted a terrible price on his perishable human life, but his body of work is everlasting.

Photo by Paul Tschinkel.

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Dr. Irene Cioffi Whitfield is an Art Historian and a Jungian Analyst who is a member of The Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists in London and the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association in New York City. Currently living and working in Italy, Irene received her Ph.D from the Institute of Fine Arts specialising in 18th Century Italian painting. Her work focuses on the intersection of art and psychology, especially the dangerous dynamics of the creative process. She has lectured internationally on the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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CarlJung, “On the Relationship of Analytical Psychology to Poetry,” CV 15, pp. 65-83, §§ 57-132

https://www.port-magazine.com/art-photography/jean-michel-basquiat-wild-intuition/ 

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