What is Psychoanalysis?

Psychoanalysis is a set of theories that are made up from psychological and, psychotherapeutic thoughts, Sigmund Freud an Austrian doctor understood these thoughts and expressed what he thought what they represented and what the thoughts truly meant, encrypted desires that we think of and understanding what they mean.

‘Psychoanalysis is the name given to the theory of mind developed originally by Sigmund Freud, a theory which has had and continues to have an enormous impact on culture and intellectual life. Although there has been considerable development in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis since Freud’s day, certain key ideas have retained their place and vitality within the theory.’ [1]

Luis Royo and Psychoanalysis

Luis Royo is a Spanish born artist, his work can be seen as dark and disturbing his art that I have seen is very graphic and life like, the work is also very sexual with women barley dressed and often has sexual senses where women are having sex with monsters, demons and for a better way of putting it the un-dead his work is great to look at from a psychological view because of the deep meaning that have been thought into his work.  

From what I have seen Royo’s work is very sexual with women being seen more dominant then man as women wear armour, carry weapons and are sexually empowered. This could be evaluated that powerful women that make him submit, his work can be seen as dark and disturbing dominating Royo’s subconscious. 

‘Well, after looking at this book I'm not so sure that I like Royo anymore. I typically love the way he creates his female characters. BUT, the satanic images and sexual affairs between women and Baphomet (Satan) is APPALLING! I don't like evil things. I like dark things. His work could be seft that trash out.’ {2}

[3]

The quote above depicts someone’s disgust or Royo’s work and how far he goes into his art. The picture I believe shows one of Royo’s inner most thoughts going from and psychoanalysis point of view, what was happing in his subconscious?, to come up with images and thoughts such as these?. Does Royo see women as the stronger sex, does he feel that women are the ones that should be dominate and men be the ones to submit.

As in this image above the women is in charge the man is on his back arms behind ‘him’ so that he cant touch her, so she is in control of the situation not him, does Royo see this as a fantasy of his the women taking him while he is helpless to do anything maybe portraying a slight fetish for dominatrix’s or is it just that he believes that the women should be able to make the first more in this situation.

As I have stated a little above apart from the “monsters” the only other characters in Royo’s work are women so his art could seem more like erotica then say a graphic novel or book, the women are either barley dressed, hurt or participating in sexual acts.  

It can also been seen as root to sexuality and aggression, that Royo is mad at women and that he feels that the women making love and being taken by these creators, monsters or even Satan that they deserved to be punished and the way to do that is to make them seem strong and powerful but then degrading them because of the sexual acts they preform or that are being preformed onto them as a form of humiliation.   

Royo’s work could be based on dreams going with Freud’s theories of psychosexual stages where, simple things can deep down mean either secret sexual desires, that have manifested in different ways and Royo has interpreted them into his work.

However there is a lot of skepticism throughout Freud’s psychosexual stages theories as Freud pretty much stated everything we dream about in our subconscious is related to sex, a pen a sword, guns, and even just a normal wooden pole represents a penis and things such as a pocket, cave and a hole represents and vagina. So if you go with Freud’s theory if you had a dream you were shooting someone you are using a gun, which represents aggression and a penis so you are shooting someone with a penis thus making in a deep down sexual desire! What!?!?!?!

[4]

The image above could also be evaluated from a psychological view the women is bleeding with thorns coming out of her head, blood seeping from the wounds and from her eyes, but she doesn’t appear to be in any sort of pain, if anything she still looks beautiful, this can be related from the view that Royo witnessed someone he sees as Beautiful but in pain, this could stem from childhood seeing either a mother, sister or Friend in pain but pushing through it but the wounds can still be seen by others. Or again from a deeper thought it could be from a sexual desire to see a women hurt but still look beautiful, in a way humiliated but strong at the same time.    

The dark at disturbing ideas when looking from a psychoanalysis point of view can be interpreted from Royo’s childhood, dark and disturbing things that have happened throughout his childhood, that have manifested its self into his subconscious and have come out in later years into his work, for example seeing women hurt and humiliated, that’s why in his work he shows women as more empowered then man, stronger and more confident, and more sexually confident then men but these events could have happened at any time in Royo’s life and have just been ‘released’ now in the form of his work, and have not manifested into other dark traits.

Royo’s work is often describe as ‘gothic’ does this mean the Royo’s subconscious is the real him and his is putting on a disguise? Or has Royo been drawing these images for so long that his mind makes these images at will?

Conclusion

In conclusion I think that’s Royo’s work can either be linked to something that he has seen in his childhood women being humiliated but at the same time trying to remain strong. Or if you go with Freud’s theories that he has deep dark sexual desires that’s his subconscious has brought to life in his work, the dominating women, who are powerful and sexy, that get there own way. The subconscious I my opinion shows us what we want but cant have Royo wants a sexy female fighter who is an animal in bed, but he cant find that type of women? It all stems from his mind.      

Rachel Powell
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