The Unconscious Consciousness:

Developing Artistic Practice through the Active

Imagination

By

Demi Wilkie

Student Number:
F015540

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the degree of
BA Fine Art

Loughborough University

2023

Word Count:
 Table of Contents
Acknowledgements................................................................................i
List of Illustrations:...............................................................................ii
Introduction: How does Jung’s practice of the active imagination
correspond to automatic art making practices to develop creative
expression?............................................................................................1
Chapter 1: The Active Imagination and its influence on the creative
arts..........................................................................................................2
1.1 The History of the Active Imagination.............................................2
1.2 The Stages of the Active Imagination.............................................5
Chapter 2: The Unconscious Consciousness Of Automatic Art
Making For Surrealist Artists................................................................8
2.1: History of Surrealism......................................................................8
2.2 Influence of Psychoanalysis in Surrealism....................................10
2.3 Max Ernst’s Relation to Unconscious Art Making.........................10
2.4 Limitations.....................................................................................13
Conclusion:..........................................................................................13
Appendix A:..........................................................................................15
Stage 1:...............................................................................................15
Stage 2:...............................................................................................16
Stage 3:...............................................................................................17
Example 1...........................................................................................18
Example 2...........................................................................................19
Inspiration:..........................................................................................20
André Masson..................................................................................20
Cai Guo-Qiang.................................................................................21
Conclusion:.........................................................................................22
Appendix B:..........................................................................................24
Bibliography:........................................................................................29
 Acknowledgements

It is a genuine pleasure of mine to express my most sincere gratitude to my mentor

and advisor Dr Ahren Warner, Department of Fine Art, School of Design and
Creative Arts at Loughborough University. His enthusiasm, support and patience
have been imperative within the completion of this dissertation throughout the
semester.
I would also like to thank profusely both my personal tutor throughout my academic
studies Dr Michael Shaw and Professor Craig Richardson, Professor of Fine Art.
Their guidance and support have been a tremendous attribute to my studies and
have not gone unnoticed.
Lastly, I want to thank my parents, Justine and Austin Wilkie, for their constant love
and support. Their encouragement and belief throughout pushed me to pursue my
passion in the creative arts leading me to be where I am today. This opportunity to
move abroad to UK in order to further my studies would not have been possible
without them.

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List of Illustrations:

Figure 1: Alexander Cozens, A Blot (1785), aquaitant, ink and brush from New
Method. New Haven, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Figure 2: Max Ernst, The Fugitive from Histoire Naturelle(1926) One from a portfolio
of 34 cellotypes after frottage, 10 1/8 x 16 5/8”

Figure 3: Max Ernst, Wheel of Light (1926) Collotype, after frottage, printed in black
from Histoire Naturelle, 10 1/8 x 16 5/8”, The New York Public Library, New York.

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 Figure 4: André Masson, Automatic Drawing (1924), Ink on paper, 23.5
x 20.6 cm, MoMA’s online Collection

Figure 5: Joan Miró, The Hunter (Catalan Landscape) (1924), Oil on canvas, 64.8 x
100.3 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Figure 6: Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory (1931), Oil on

Canvas, 24.1 x 33 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Figure 7: Jackson Pollock, Birth (1941), Oil on Canvas, frame: 1207

x 597 x 64 mm, Tate Modern, London.

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Introduction: How does Jung’s practice of the active
imagination correspond to automatic art making practices to
develop creative expression?

The stimulation for development in creative art practices can often be challenging,
which consequently may lead artists to hit a paralyzing halt in their creations.
Therefore, the objective of this dissertation will be to examine an ‘analytic method of
psychotherapy’ (Jung, 1997) which is the active imagination theorised by
psychoanalyst Carl Jung and to question how does Carl Jung’s practice of the active
imagination correlates to automatic art making practices in order to activate an
artist’s creative expression further.
The approach of this investigation will be divided up into three key areas. Chapter
One will delve into the historical and contextual depth surrounding the active
imagination. This will be done in order for the reader to gain access to a wider
understanding of not only this concept but both the methodology’s and Jung’s
relation to ‘renowned psychologist and physiologist’ Sigmund Freud who is often
‘referred to as the father of psychoanalyst’ (Sigmund Freud, n.d.). Although, their
friendship broke down in 1913 before Jung started his development of this
methodology, it has been clearly indicated the influence Freud had on his work as he
took his greatest inspiration from Free Association. Through the progression of
research into the active imagination and other Jungian terms such as the collective
consciousness throughout the chapter, it becomes evident the correlation the
methodology entails surrounding automatism in creative art practices.
Within automatism it is crucial to highlight the importance this technique of
unconscious art making has on various artistic movements throughout history.
However, the surrealist avant-garde movement has a pivotal role in the exploration
of unconscious automatic practices to further develop their compositions. Therefore,
the second section of this assignment will devise an evaluation between the
relationship within the active imagination and the use of automatic art making for
surrealist artists. This will be executed by going into the historical context of the
movement in general but also focusing on a prominent surrealist figure Max Ernst,
whose work clearly indicates a direct link to the active imagination. Ernst’s engages

1
with the unconscious automatic technique of frottage to then later refine the marks
left onto the page into unrelated conscious detailed drawings.
Gathering all the knowledge obtained from the research created to inform this
assignment leads to the final section of this dissertation, the appendix where the
application of the information gathered will be put forth into outlining my own
methodology. The application for my own practical led investigation will therefore
assist to provide evidence for my overall conclusion on how the application of the
active imagination could be essential for an artist’s creative development. The
involvement of practical based research is crucial as there is very few to none recent
studies on the ‘active imagination with art-based approaches’ (Erazo Andrade, 2022,
p.1).Therefore the aim of including my own studies is to ‘fulfil the gap by bringing
new thoughts about the method of active imagination’ within the realm of visual arts
(Erazo Andrade, 2022, p.1). The body of practice will be comprised by accessing the
active imagination through my own version of steps as I introduce the inclusion of
one further step to Jung’s original two stage process in order to achieve progressive
assistance within the development of my creative practice.

Chapter 1: The Active Imagination and its influence on the

creative arts

1.1 The History of the Active Imagination

Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst produced an ‘analytical method of

psychotherapy’ (Chodorow, p.17, 1997) otherwise known as the active imagination.
Defining the exact term has been proven difficult due to Jung previously having
different names for the method such as the ‘transcendent function’ which was a
paper he wrote in 1916 during his military service which ‘depicted the method of
eliciting and developing fantasies’ (Jung, 2009, p. 209) ‘and the ‘picture method’
which was focused on the process of portraying symbolic images through painting
and drawing (Chodorow, 1997, p.23,). It was not till 1935 in the delivery of the
Tavistock Lectures where he conclusively named it active imagination publicly
(Chodorow, 1997, p.23). Since then the active imagination has been defined as the
practice of evolving the concept of our ‘imagination and expressing it symbolically all
2
while seeking a self-reflective psychological’ analysis approach (Chodorow, 2006, p.
215). The method demonstrates the intention to build ‘a “bridge between the
conscious ego and the creative self” through the means of human imagination’
(Jonasson & Ingason, 2018, p.5).
The discovery around this methodologic term came into discovery in the early 20th
century during the years 1913-16 due to Jung’s break in his relationship with the
founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud (Vernon, 2011). Their close relationship
then became an ambivalent friendship coming to stall in 1913 due to a dispute on
contrasting views of their theories. Freud very much concentrated his arguments
focusing around human sexuality, this focal point pushed Jung away as his
interested laid greater on the spiritual unconscious. Having idolized Freud as a role
model for years before ‘because of his fundamental researches into the psychology
of the hysteria and of dreams’ (Jung, 1989, p.114), made Jung pass ‘through a
period of mental upheaval’ leading him to believe he was ‘menaced by a psychosis’
(Storr, 1983, p. 71). He recounts Having become stuck in his own research during
this moment in time and resorted to modes of experimentation through the use of
creative means recounting the idea of ‘symbolic play’ from his childhood (Chodorow,
1997, p.20). The aim of this ‘was to allow fantasy free play without departing from the
initial affect in a free association process’ (Jung, 2009, p.209). Although parting from
Freud during this period, it was still evident the influence Freud had on his research
as he associates the explanation of his aim to the inspiration for coming from free
association a ‘fundamental technical rule of psychoanalysis’ which is considered ‘the
cornerstone of psychoanalytic practices’ (Rabeyron and Massicotte, 2020, p.1). Jung
was clearly aware of the influence free association had on the practice of the active
imagination as he regards it as a ‘direct extension’ (Jung, 1931, p. 47). However, the
core difference that lies between the two terms is that within free association the
patient is encouraged to not be selective in their thoughts whereas Jung encourages
and invites the idea of the patients being selective in the process and specifying their
thoughts through mental imagery. This is a vital concept within the method as it
allows the therapist to have a clearer indication of the patient’s mentality and allows
for ‘elaborating the fantasy by observing further fantasy material that adds itself to
the fragment’ allowing the result to reveal ‘the unconscious and produces material
rich in archetypal images and association’ (Jung, 1968, p.49). In addition to this it is
evidently present that Freud’s approach to dream interpretation had ‘a deeply
3
neurotic attitude towards sexuality’ (Falzeder, 2020, p.123) whereas in contrast Jung
took upon an approach with mainly centralizes around the theme of symbolism
portraying a resemblance to iconographical and diagrammatic methods of
production (Falzeder, 2020, p.128). His opposition to the Freudian focus of sexual
symbolism is also due to that ‘it employs rather predetermined definitions of its
symbols’ and Jung therefore believes that it is difficult that ‘such a specific and pre-
established index of symbols applies to such a variety of individuals’ (p.16). The use
of the unconscious mind in the early ideas of his concept of the process of the active
imagination when it was still described as the transcendent function also portrays
Jung’s attempt to create a direct link to another of his Jungian concepts; the
collective unconscious . The collective unconscious can be depicted as the ‘deepest
layer of the unconsciousness that links all human beings, independent from the
cultures, ages or races’, meaning that these thoughts are not individual to the
person’s own experiences but ‘inherited from our remote ancestors’ (Erazo Andrade,
2022, p.1) and is the ‘true basis of the individual psyche (Jung, 1969, p. 203).
During his disorientated period of time as previously mentioned, Jung hit a
breakthrough in self-healing through his experimentation with his engagement ‘with
the impulses and images of the unconscious’ (Chodorow,1997, p. 20). Exploring the
idea of ‘childlike states’ of symbolic play to stimulate his creativity and imagination as
a self-healing and soothing process (McNiff, 1997, p.269) resulting in himself to
delve into expressive forms of writing, drawing and painting (Chodorow,1997, p. 21).
Through the use of drawing he started to produce spontaneous circular images
which represented the form of mandalas. These circular patterned images have
been found to be incorporated within different cultures around the globe throughout
history but have been mainly associated with in ‘eastern religions and philosophies
including Buddhism and Hinduism where they are often used for meditation and
contemplative purposes’ (Miller, 2005, p.165). However at the start of Jung’s
production in the sketching of these images in 1916, he was unaware of their
meaning. It was not until 1919 that he came to terms with understanding the concept
of the diagrammatic sketches of mandalas as “cryptograms concerning the state of
the self…[and are] the path to individuation” (Jung, 1989, p.196). The symbolization
of the mandala holds a sentimental value as a motif for the exception of senseless
imagery, having a ‘means of protecting the centre of the personality from being
drawn out’ and avoiding manipulation from external influences (Jung, 1935, p. 275).
4
For Jung this association with the mandalas comes from the archetypal symbol of
the “Self” and reflect ‘the common neuropsychological inheritance of humankind’
(DiLeo, 1983, p.13) and ‘represent the striving for individuation, wholeness and
psychological integration’ (Miller, 2005, p.196), which is done through the
harmonious union of differences. The idea of individuation refers to ‘the process by
which the consciousness of a person becomes individualized or differentiated from
other people’ (Hall & Nordby, 1973, p.34). Therefore this portrays how the constant
involvement of the mandala, a universally accessible piece of imagery is repeatedly
seen within Jung’s use of the process of the active imagination that the outcome of
the composition is inevitably a personal reflection to the individual involved in its
creation when later reflecting on the producers relation to the true meaning of the
imagery. This characterizes Schaverien’s statement that although the ‘process of
active imagination is highly significant…the end product – vision, dream or picture as
shared image or object’ is the main body to assist the conscious reflection in order to
delve into its deepest meaning of the unconscious (Schaverien, 2005, p.39).
Therefore it is to be understood that these symbols otherwise known as archetypes
by Jung, ‘held particular patterns of human behavior, experience and meaning’
(Uraaneck, 2021, p.84) which would come to light once a conscious evaluation and
reflection of the unconscious had taken place.

1.2 The Stages of the Active Imagination

In order to achieve this end product Jung highlighted a two-step process to stimulate
both his patients and his own active imagination. Firstly, there is the need to allow
the unconscious mind come forth. In Jung’s approach towards this, he experiments
with ‘systematic exercises for eliminating critical attention, thus producing a vacuum
in consciousness’ (Jung, 2009, p.209). Taking inspiration for this through his reading
and review of a Chinese book of life, The Secret of the Golden Flower (1929) he
compares this first step in his methodology to wu wei, ‘the Taoist idea of letting
things happen’ (Chodorow, 1997,p. 36). This is comparable to many other
psychological approaches and meditation techniques where patients are encouraged
to clear their mental state but additionally it has a familiar essence to automatism
within the field of the creative arts. A term coined from physiology (Tate, n.d.) and is
an approach which ‘aims to suppress rational thought, allowing the subconscious to
5
take control’ (National Galleries, n.d.). This method of creativity has been used
throughout art history to prompt artistic development. Surrealists artists in the early
20th century began to experiment with this technique, which later influenced action
painters and abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock in the 1950s (National
Galleries, n.d.).
The second stage of the active imagination methodology then invites our
consciousness to come to light, as ‘the affects and images of the unconsciousness
flow into awareness, the ego enters actively into the experience (Chodorow,
1997 ,p.36). Possibly the hardest part of the two as it requires reflection and critical
analysis of the self and mind through investigating the final product of the initial
stage.
As previously mention the ‘active imagination is defined by the relationship between
ego and the unconscious, not by the particular medium employed’ (Dallett, 1992,
p.242). However, achieving the process of active imagination can be done in
numerous ways particularly in the initial step. In Memories, Dreams and reflections
(1961) Jung states there are various expressive activities in which one can engage
the ‘confrontation with the unconscious’ (Mcniffen, 1998 p.271) stating himself that it
can take form in numerous ways following either ‘dramatic, dialectic, visual, acoustic,
or in the form of dancing, painting or modelling’ (Jung, 1947, p.204). From this it is
clear that Jung supported ‘a multimedia approach to the active imagination
(Mcniffen,1998,p. 271) through the extensive procedures that could be taken in order
to fulfil the activation.
Furthermore, although his experience of the incorporation of multimedia approaches
introduces the involvement of combining various artistic fields such as blending
painting with bodily dance movements, it can also be interpreted as following a
multimedia approach within the same artistic field. This could be achievable through
the entanglement of merging different creative materials. An example of this is
evident in the Appendix where in my own practice I initially begin my piece with
blocks of coloured ice which could be described as a sensorial version of painting
but then transition into drawing within my additional stages, although taking a
modernized approach towards the traditional process as I refer to digital media
instead. It is visible that both mediums are exceptionally diverse to each other
especially through their controllability. As the ice blocks allowed me to have little to
no control of the outcome but with digital drawing there is a vast amount of
6
conscious control available to the user from drawing utensils, colours and the
physical production. By engaging in these expressive activities it is made apparent
that the second stage becomes a ‘natural inborn process’ (Chodorow, 1997, p.22) as
the ‘activation of creative energy will inspire a variety of different expressions which
flow naturally from the process of reflection’ (McNiffen, 1998, p. 271).

However, this dissertation will solely focus on the active imagination through the
method of creative visual arts. As Schaverien points out in her article the use of art in
this methodology produces a ‘tangible and material presence’ (2005, p. 46), which
unlike other modes of presenting the active imagination it records ‘traces of its paths’
(2005, p. 46). These recordings then allow the analysis and reflection of the product
to be easier as it ‘reveals much about the process of active imagination’ (Schaverien,
2005, p.47).
As follows, Chapter 2 shall investigate the inspiration and influence Jung’s
therapeutic technique has had on artistic movements specifically the 20th century
Surrealism movement through the exploration of automatism, a mechanism many
surrealist artists undertook in their artistic practice in order to further develop
creative expression within their compositions. To validate this correlation I shall be
providing artworks of Max Ernst a surrealists artists who followed this approach to
inspire their creativity.
However due to there being little to ‘none founded studies of how to assess the
method of active imagination with art based’ approaches (Erazo Andrade,2022, p.1) I
shall be additionally introducing this methodology of working within my own practice
to bridge the gap by demonstrating how it may help stimulate compositional
development through the engagement of initially working with unconscious automatic
techniques and the latter reflecting on both the product and process to further evolve
the work.

7
Chapter 2: The Unconscious Consciousness Of Automatic Art
Making For Surrealist Artists

In order to demonstrate an understanding on how the concept of the active

imagination can perform as a catalyst to generate creative development within
artistic expression it is important to evaluate the methodology in contrast to its
applicability within well-established artistic contextual backgrounds. As chapter one
investigated the procedure of the active imagination it is evident that there is a
mirroring parallels between automatism art practices and the active imagination as
they both highly endure an interactive engagement with acting upon the unconscious
mind. Automatism is a creative technique heavily popularized by surrealists in the
20th century. Therefore, this chapter shall explore the presence of the active
imagination in surrealism through investigating different automatic approaches taken
on by artists to enhance their creative practice.

2.1: History of Surrealism

Surrealism, both an intellectual literary and artistic movement formed in the twentieth
century, which was derived from the Dada movement (MoMA Learning, n.d.). The
movement ‘sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the
subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance’ (National
Galleries Scotland, n.d.). A dominant movement in western culture during the
generations between the interwar years, shared a close relationship to
psychoanalysis (Esman, 2011, p.173). The term first came to light in 1917 by a
French avant-garde poet Guillaume Apollinaire, although it was a French leader of a
new group of poets and artists, André Breton who produced the Surrealist Manifesto
in 1924 (Tate, n.d.). Taking inspiration from the ‘iconoclastic Dada movement’
(Esamn, 2011, p. 173) due to both focusing on the relation between the psyche and
the creative arts (Dees, 2020, p.12) but also its ‘rejection of literature’ , as Breton
writes within his manifesto his search ‘for an egress without returning to “literature” or

8
“self-expression”’ (Opstrup, 2017, p.42). Instead he took on the route to explore
surrealism through his famous well-known definition of term as the ‘psychic
automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express verbally, by means
of the written word, or in any other manner – the actual functioning of thought.
Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt
from any aesthetic or moral concern’ (Breton, 1924, p.5).

From Breton’s definition of the term ‘psychic automatism’, it is clearly indicated that
the mechanism of automatism is a pivotal characteristic in the production of
surrealist concepts and compositions. Although the concept of automatism has been
attained through psychoanalysis (Tate, n.d.), ‘its definition in philosophy emphasize
its influence within art’ (Boynukalin, 2018, p. 112). Through ‘an artistic approach,
automatism can be described as automation activities which actualize independently
from self-control and sometimes out of consciousness in a simultaneous,
spontaneous and incidental way’ (Boynukalin, 2018, p.112). Even though,
automatism is commonly associated with surrealism, ‘some previous and later
epochs also have seen the application of automatic art’ (Anapur, 2016). Its
appearance within the visual arts dates back centuries before Breton’s Surrealist
Manifesto was written. An example of this being Alexander Cozen’s Blot Paintings
from the eighteenth century, where the first step of his methodology consisted on the
use of ink or watercolours to form blots – ‘ a production of chance, with a small
degree of design’ (Tate, n.d.). The second step for these compositional landscapes
involved the notion of conscious reflection and thought as from the marks produced
‘compositional ideas were invoked, from which more tangible sketches could be
developed’ (Gale, n.d.). This procedure of creation explores the notion of the
unconscious and even though this method was developed centuries before it is to be
highlighted the parallels between both Freud’s concept of free association and
Jung’s method of the active imagination (Gale, n.d.), which could be examined to
have influenced the later artistic movements of surrealism but additionally abstract
expressionism.

9
2.2 Influence of Psychoanalysis in Surrealism

Although the influence and ‘concept of the unconscious as a part of the

psychoanalytic theory was initially introduced by Sigmund Freud, in his book The
Interpretation of Dreams (1899) and was a crucial aspect for the inspiration of the
Surrealist movement, many surrealists ‘did not implement Freud’s techniques of
dream interpretation but merely utilized the material that was derived from the
unconscious as the basis of their art’ (Dees, 2020,p.12). During this time Jung was
still actively exploring and investigating the methodology of the active imagination.
However, it is evident that there is a clear correlation between Jung’s research and
Breton’s definition of surrealism as ‘psychic automatism’. This concept in surrealism
of automatism mechanism which is stimulated through unconscious thought carried
a very similar fundamental quality to the approach taken by Jung in his exploration of
the active imagination. ‘The nature of surrealist philosophy lies in an embrace of pure
impulsivity and free association based on the developments in the field of
psychology’(Georgescu, 2021, p.10). As previously mentioned in chapter one the
Freudian concept of free association was Freud’s ideology which was most
influential in Jung’s research and practice. The Jungian concept of active imagination
delves deeper into the notion of dreaming which tends to be the ‘perfect tool of
individual investigation for surrealist artists’ as Jung himself has stated that its
involvement with ‘the unconscious manifests itself in archetypal images’ (Poser,
2008). However, it was not till 1936 that ‘Jung’s theories of the unconscious were
brought to the attention of the surrealists’ due to his publication of Psychology and
Alchemy (Sedivi, 2009, p.12) as ‘surrealists placed great importance on myth’ which
correlated with Jung’s belief that ‘mythical symbols arise from’ his notion of the
‘collective unconscious’ (Sedivi, 2009, p. 24).

2.3 Max Ernst’s Relation to Unconscious Art Making

As previously mentioned in Chapter 1 the final creative product is the principle

catalyst in stimulating a conscious reflection upon discovering the meaning towards
the unconsciousness. However, Schaverien highlights ‘the process of active

10
imagination is highly significant’ in addition to the end result ( 2005, p.39). The
substance of importance carried by the use of process can be translated through
certain techniques artists may implement in their experimentation when aiming to
explore their unconsciousness. This is exemplified by the processes of frottage and
grattage, both automatic artistic methods of production developed by surrealist artist
Max Ernst (Tate, n.d.). Frottage, a term ‘derived from the French frotter, which
means to “rub”’ (MoMA, n.d.). As the word itself suggests the technique involves
achieving visible marks of scrubbing using products such as pencil, crayons or
charcoal upon paper or canvas held over textured surfaces (National Galleries
Scotland, n.d.). From this technique led to the later development of grattage, a
similar method involving a prepared canvas with ‘a layer of oil paint over a textured
object and the scraping the paint off to create an interesting and unexpected surface’
(Tate, n.d.).

These techniques produce unconscious and almost uncontrollable marks, which

then allow for ‘prompt connections to other, often unrelated objects, places or
creatures that the artists responds to by refining the image in effort to bring out more
of the desired subjects’ (Schmitt, 2018, p.29). As described Ernst’s encounter with
this method was a ‘way of stimulating his projective imagination producing visions of
a strange world’ (Iversen, 2020, p. 259). It is important here to emphasize the
parallels between this method of working and Carl Jung’s ideology of the active
imagination, even though at the time of creation of Ernst’s works he was not aware
nor inspired by Jung as Jung was still ongoing in his investigation before devising a
concrete conclusion but it is evident that both translate to a very similar narrative.
Ernst’s exploration of frottage began with his desire to search within the symbolism
of his obsession of his bedroom floor boards which ‘played a role of optical
provocateur in a vision’ of imagination and ‘a number of hallucinations’ (Hunt, 1996,
p.60) one of which found himself in ‘an inn by the sea coast’ (Berman, 2013, p.
153).However, upon observing these automatic pieces of works he was able to
transform ‘the random striations of the wood into images of animals (Karmel, 2005,
p.82). The nonrelation between the two concepts portrays the effects of the
unconscious and how automatism has been able to acquire the notion of collective
unconscious which relates to notions which do not necessarily have to be part of an

11
individual but preconceptions ‘inherited from our remote ancestors (Erazo Andrade,
2022, p.1)

Histoire Naturelle (1926), a portfolio featuring 34 selected collotype prints of Ernst’s

earliest engagement with the technique of frottage which were developed to present
‘cosmological, vegetal and animal forms on the empty stages of frozen landscapes’
(Zur Loye,2010, p.72). These works of art initial stage of production were conveyed
through automatic technique where Ernst had little control on what the visual
outcome may appear. It was then through the conscious evaluation of the marks
produced to be able to rework them to produce a composition that had little relation
to the initial stage. In addition to this conscious decision was also taken upon in the
order of imagery within the book were formulated to ‘read as a narrative diagram of
evolutionary development’ (Zur Loye,2010, p.72) as it ranges from
‘geological/cosmosical birth of the world to the generation of mineral, botanical and
animals forms (Zur Loye,2010, p.72). The formation suggest imposes a recognizable
recollection to ‘Charles Darwin’s theories of natural selection and evolution’ (Zur
Loye,2010, p.73). From this correlation between the two it is to be suggested ‘ a
clear parallel between Darwin’s Theory of evolution and the Surrealist’s pursuit and
celebration of transformative processes’ (Zur Loye,2010, p.74). However, the
concept of the active imagination can also be interwined in this relation through the
concept of the collective unconsciousness as this ‘celebration of transformative
processes’ (Zur Loye,2010, p.74) is a notion which can be seen as naturally instilled
in our heritage.

From the research devised into Ernst’s works within the techniques of frottage and
grattage and his evolution in creative expression within his compositions I can vouch
a similar essence in my own creative practice. Despite the fact my initial stage takes
upon a different automatic approach using the forms of coloured frozen blocks of
dyes, its relatively uncontrollable quality in mark making through its transformative
procedure of changes in states of matter in which stain my pages is transferrable to
the prints of textures Ernst obtained in his method. The second stage which require a
conscious reflection shares a greater similarity between our processes as within in
the abstraction of marks left behind we uncover unrelatable imagery. In this case I
have also noted a correlation in choice of imagery to convey ‘mineral, botanical and
12
animal forms’ (Zur Loye, 2010, p.72) which can be seen and further discussed for
reference in The Appendix.

2.4 Limitations

Alongside Ernst, there were other prominent figures in the surrealist movement who
actively incorporated automatism into their work such as André Masson, Joan Miro
and Salvador Dali to name a few. However, due to the limitations of this assignment I
am unable to go into further detail about their procedure and relation into the active
imagination. In addition to this the use of automatism in surrealist movement
specifically through artists such as Masson went on to later influence the Abstract
expressionist movement (Robins, 1976, p.8). It can be argued that abstract
expressionist’s such as Jackson Pollock may have been more heavily inspired by
Carl Jung’s theory of the active imagination as the production of his work had started
to take place after establishment and publication of Jung’s methodology. And

Conclusion:

In this investigation, the aim was to assess how Carl Jung’s method of the active
imagination can be implemented in an artist’s creative practice to both stimulate and
enhance their development of creative expression. Research within Jungian theories
such as the topic of the active imagination specifically in the field of visual arts has
proven to have influenced the ‘artistic and philosophical’ surrealist movement as
there is an ‘understanding of the relationship between art and the unconscious’
(Richman, 2014, p.202). Within Chapter 2 it is discussed the reason for this
correlation between the two is as a result of surrealist artists experimenting with the
technique of automatism. Similarly to the active imagination automatic techniques
are ‘based on the premise that in a relaxed, trance-like state, the mind was more
susceptible to permitting repressed wishes and ideas to flow unrestrained’ (Richman,
2014, p.202). As previously mentioned this acknowledges the active presence of an
artist’s unconscious mind which is reflected through their compositions (Boynukalin,
2018, p.113) as the imagery produced portrays ‘connections to other, often unrelated
objects, places or creatures’ (Schmitt, 2018, p.29). To provide evidence for this, my
13
investigation focused on Surrealist artist, Max Ernst’s automatic methodological
approach of frottage in his series of artworks Historie Naturalle. A weakness in within
this research into this artist was that it did not present a deliberate link into Jung’s
theory of the active imagination due to his method being published later on in the late
1930s, which was after Ernst’s exploration of automatism. However, when analyzing
the procedures employed into his process of creation through the initiation of the
unconsciousness through the inclusion of automatism it is evident that there is
extreme similarities between the artist and the active imagination. This had arisen
from their influence of the Freudian theory of Free Association. However, the
research did provide evidence for the association of automatic techniques in Ernst’s
work to provide the reasonability of working as a catalyst in artistic development in
the second stage of the active imagination.
In addition to the secondary research carried out to provide evidence in order to
reach a conclusion to this assignment, beyond this section I have incorporated an
appendix of my own primary research using the active imagination as a
methodological source to enhance my artistic development through automatic
practices. Within this body of work I intend to address the limitations discussed
throughout such as there being little research into the correspondence between the
method and visual art practices by using the knowledge I have now obtained to
bridge an intentional direct link between the theory and practice.

14
Appendix A:

Drawing upon the main aim of this dissertation to seek the fundamentality of the
active imagination to help unravel an artist’s creative development, it is important to
examine the significance and accuracy of the research. This has been achieved by
applying the secondary research and knowledge demonstrated in the previous
chapters into practice. Researchers in the field of psychoanalysis have stated there
is ‘no recent study to about the active imagination with art-based approach specially
with visual arts’ (Erazo Andrade , 2022, p.1). This portrays that in order to obtain a
conclusive argument it is key for myself to assess the methodology through the
application of my own studies.
The outline for my strategy of production was modelled and inspired by Jung’s two
step procedure highlighted in chapter one. However, adding my personal alterations
to the methodology I inclusively added a third step into the process as I felt it was
essential in aiding my creative development.

Stage 1:

The first step aimed ‘to suppress rational thought, allowing the subconscious to take
control’ (National Galleries, n.d.) by working with an automatic means of creation
which naturally would oppress a vast amount of consciousness to take control. This
was achievable due to the choice of materiality – blocks of ice cubes that had been
prepared with the inclusion of coloured inks. The decision in use of this particular
material was done with the intention of mimicking Jung’s idea ‘symbolic play’
(Chodorow, 1997, p.20) through the use the mediums sensorial tactile
characteristics, which embody traits of automatism. The only conscious control at
this stage I possessed was the choice of material and positioning of the cubes on the
paper along with which colours would be used in the composition. However, the
uncontrollable transitional state of the medium surpassed these conscious decisions
due the fluidity of the matter. As puddles of dyes occurred on the sheets of paper it
became difficult to maneuver the movement and gestures of the marks left behind

15
but also the colours produced as liquids interwined to produce a new palette of
colours leaving this evolution of matter to compose itself. This period of transitional
states within the chosen materiality encapsulates the knowledge obtained from the
research in Chapter 2 where there is discussion about how Darwin’s theory of
evolution forms an alignment with the concept of the collective unconscious as a
‘celebration of transformative processes’ (Zur Loye,2010, p.74).

Figure 8: Automatic Ice Painting Process

Stage 2:

Once this step felt fulfilled the next stage concluded on reflection, to help the journey
of the composition progress. Within the reflection stage it felt vital to incorporate an
additional step. This was accomplished through the invitation of the subconscious
and rational thought into the dynamic by highlighting notable marks which attracted
my own attention and creating further outlines to accentuate the shapes. Here it is
essential to highlight a switch in choice of materiality which made the accessibility
into the conscious control more readily available. Turning towards a more
contemporary approach on a very traditional technique through the shift of media to
digital drawing. This alteration in media also portrays significance to the application
of the process as McNiff states in his writings that Jung ‘clearly supported a

16
multimedia approach’ in order to operate the active imagination as it encouraged
patients ‘to work with whatever expressive medium was most conductive to
spontaneous expression’ (1998, p. 271).

Figure 9: Ice Painting 1 Figure 10: Ice Painting 1 – Outlines

Figure 11: Ice Painting 2 Figure 12: Ice Painting 2 – Outlines

Stage 3:

When reaching the final stage ‘the activation of creative energy will inspire a variety
of different expressions which flow naturally from the process of reflection’ (McNiff,
1998, p. 271). Therefore, the third step saw the appearance of a transformation in
detailed imagery emerging from basis of the simple shapes made in the previous
stage. In this the use of the active imagination can be consolidated as I invite rational

17
conscious thoughts to take form through the formation of imagery created within in
the shapes highlighted in the previous step. The imagery conveyed through this
process portrayed natural, characteristics from the psychical world around us.
Carrying out this final step made myself aware and reason with my research into the
writings of Schaverien who points out that although the process holds a certain level
of significance, the importance lies within the final product to truly reflect the
importance the active imagination holds in the process of creation (2005, p.39). This
was made evidently clear as I realized in the final stage that the only relevance held
by the materiality and procedure chosen is through its controllability and engagement
with conscious thought. Any methodology taken in the final stage which
encompasses the features mentioned would therefore have the same successful
outcome.

Example 1

Visually illustrated in Figure 10 it became noticeable the curvature of the now dried
remains of inkblots through the gradually meshed colours which collectively
constructed a harsher outline. Roughly highlighting this on the Application Procreate
I then moved on to investigate further findings within the remains which could
supplementary assist advancements in my creation. The palette of cold hues stained
on page supplied an essence of water. However, the tones of greens could act as an
indication to represent moss from ponds. Through this introduction of rational
thoughts made it apparent that it was possible to encapsulate the portrayal of
Japanese Koi fish. This final stage in example 1 has successfully proven the
techniques discussed by Carl Jung’s Active imagination to a degree does indeed
correspond to stimulating development in creative art practices.

18
 Figure 13: Koi Fishes (2022) Digital Drawing Over Ice Painting Background.

Example 2

In order to recognize the reliability and validity of the technique I resumed to use the
same procedure discussed above onto other compositional ice paintings as a basis
of a background and catalyst for furthering expressive development within my
practice.
Once the specific shapes had been identified and emphasized as shown in figure 11,
a conscious analysis took place to be able to invite portrayal of imaginary figures to
appear. However, subsequent to the reflection I understood the importance other
fundamental artistic elements held alongside shape, in particular colour. An example
of this is in figure 11, the colour scheme mainly featuring shades of greens and
yellows in addition to the highlighted shapes, it instantly reminded myself of plants
leading the small aspects of deep purple hues to achieve the formation of a flora
resemblance. This demonstrates that both art-making processes and the medium
selected in the initial stage can assist develop artistic creativity and is made evident
in both Example 1 and 2 as the element of colour has served as influence to my
artistic decisions.
Even though the same procedure was carried out both in figure 13 and 14, the
outcomes differed due to how the automatic outcomes initiated conscious thought.
However, it can still be argued that the process of the active imagination does
insinuate the imagery situated in the composition through the collective unconscious
as it entails ‘a universal, unsaid language which exists throughout mankind, and

19
serves as a link which bonds the entire human race’ (Elliot, 1986, p. 6) as both
examples depict a portrayal of imagery that it is accessible to most.

Figure 14: Flowers Blooming (2022) Digital Drawing Over Ice Painting Background.

Inspiration:

André Masson

Additionally to being inspired from my research into Ernst in Chapter 2 to inform the
strategy undertaken in my practice I was further influenced by other external artists.
As previously mentioned, André Masson another prominent artist in the surrealist
movement who actively incorporated automatism into his work was another
contextual source of inspiration which informed the layout of my practice. His initial
exploration of chance effect through the traditional technique of drawing as show in
figure ? featured in the List of illustrations went on to further identify and investigate
the ‘metamorphoses of animal and human forms’ including ‘themes of germination,
combats and massacres, with emphasis of violence and eroticism’ (Tate, n.d.)
through reflecting consciously on his automatic pieces. Through his analysis of his
latent pieces of work, he is able to recognize ‘the emergence of a perceptible image’
(Staff, 2015, p.125) . Mirroring Jung’s notion of the active imagination containing two
phases of which first features the unconscious and later sees the appearance of

20
conscious rational thought. This method to further explore the possibilities of
developing a piece was employed into my own version of the methodology, where I
sought to bring forward pieces of imagery I discovered upon the subsequent dried up
stains of ink left behind from the ice cubes.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Within the field of contemporary art practice, Cai Guo-Qiang’s innovative practice
within materiality has been a huge source of inspiration. Although Cai does not
portray engagement in the active imagination or automatism, his gun-powder
artworks sparked an initial influence in my process through the use of
unconventional materials in his creation. His use of ‘gun powder to draw contours of
figures on coloured, textured canvas’ (Jindong, 1988, p.251) stimulated an interest
into experimenting with unusual means of creating within traditional art practices.
Although, vast amounts of planning goes into his creations in order to gain
substantial control over the turbulent material, he is not able to fully control the
appearance of final outcome. Therefore, inherently there is substantial essence of
unpredictability aligning itself to feature some characteristic traits of automatism. It is
not till after these explosions were made where he can access full control over the
pieces as an artist with the remains of gunpowder left on canvas’ surface.

Figure 15: Cai Guo-Qiang, Mountain in Heat (2016), A work in

gunpowder on canvas
Conclusion:

21
The purpose of the inclusion for my personal practical work was to determine the
accuracy and validity of the secondary research carried out throughout the body of
this dissertation. The incorporation of my own methodology has suggested that
although Jung’s method of the active imagination can be applicable to an artist’s
creative practice in order to stimulate development in expression, the inclusion of an
intermediate step between his two stage process is of greater assistance within the
relevance of involvement in the visual creative art. From my personal experience this
transitional stage helped aid the void between the unconscious and conscious
actions taken place by adding subconsciousness to smoothen the shift.
The results of this study indicate that the active imagination does indeed allow the
possibility for its relation to automatic creative practices to explore and evolve the
creative expression of an artist by enhancing their initial latent work. However, the
accuracy of this methodology has the potential to be improved by experimenting with
more artistic materials and approaches through example 3-dimensional methods
such as clay sculptures to evaluate the correlation in stimulation. Unfortunately this
exploration has been limited due to lack of resources and a restricted time frame.
Allowing more experimental pieces to have partaken in this investigation would have
led to more extensive findings and discussions.

In addition to this, producing my own research has also allowed a deeper insight into
the relationship between Jungian approaches specifically the active imagination and
the surrealist movement. As previously mentioned there is little written evidence to
provide the deliberate link between the two due to the publication of the active
imagination being released in the later years. However, following the inspiration to
follow creative methods that surrealists such as Ernst and Masson undertook in their
practice has made me more self-aware that there is indeed a link between the two.
This can be visualized through the very similar two step approach both
methodologies entail where it begins with unconscious actions later inviting
conscious thoughts to evaluate.

Overall, I do strongly believe that taking the approach of the active imagination as
artist to overcome creative block and to stimulate the development within your work
is a useful and simple tool to implement which will gain results. This most likely is
due to the fact that artists’ have the ability to ‘interpret the potential of the object and
22
create new patterns which are available for the medium’ (Sutton, 2014, p.232). In
this case it is obtained through the unconscious having ‘many modalities of
expression’ that are achievable by automatic techniques which then translate ‘into an
open, curious attitude that seeks engagement with the contents that arises’ (Sutton,
2014, p. 236) consciously sparking ‘an activation of creative energy’ (McNiffen, 1998,
p. 271) that enhances their work to higher level.

Appendix B:
Below are further examples of my practical work carried out alongside this
dissertation.

23
Figure 16: Ice Painting Outcome 3 (2022) Figure 17: Ice Painting Outline Outcome 3 (2022)

Figure 19: Ice Painting Outcome 4 (2022)

Figure 20: Ice Painting Outline Outcome 4 (2022)

Figure 21: Seashore Shells (2022) Digital Drawing Over Ice

Painting

Figure 22: Ice Painting Outcome 5 (2022)

Figure 23: Ice Painting Outline Outcome 5 (2022)

Figure 18: Flowers Blooming 2 (2022) Digital Drawing Over Ice
Painting

24
 Figure 24: Lily Pads (2022) Digital Drawing Over Ice Paintings.

Figure 25: Ice Painting Outcome 6 (2022)

Figure 26: Ice Painting Outline Outcome 6 (2022)

25
 Figure 27: Koi Fishes 2 Incomplete (2022) Digital Drawing
Over Ice Paintings

26
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Points:
Intro:
- greater depth of chapter 3?

Chapter 2:
- follow a similar structure to Ernst for Masson but perhaps less in detail as
there is less correlation
- masson inspired pollock abstract expressionist (very brief sentence to say due
to limitation od words can not go into further detail)

Chapter 3:
- Contemporary influence?
- Go further in depth in critical analysis of my work against active imagination
- Does it correspond to surrealism?
- Go into detail of another piece
- Finish appendix

I often gaze upon my canvas, and imaginary figures start to develop in my mind. In such a
way, Jungian active imagination can be leveraged as a method to enhance creativity.
Page 199 seminotical case

Artists interpret the potential of the object and create new patterns which are available for the
medium p. 232

Often he saw these images situated in the painting and he would paint – Salvador dali p.232

Active imagination means that the images of one’s creative efforts have a life of their own,
and if conscious reason does not interfere, symbolic events develop according to their own
logic. P. 233

The active imagination method has plasticity, allowing many modalities of expression,
usually beginning with a dream image or a mood, and then transitioning into an open, curious
attitude that seeks engagement with the contents that arise. P. 236

deepest layer of the unconsciousness that links all human beings, independent from
the cultures, ages or races’, meaning that these thoughts are not individual to the

35
person’s own experiences but ‘inherited from our remote ancestors’ (Erazo Andrade,
2022, p.1) and is the ‘true basis of the individual psyche (Jung, 1969, p. 203).

36