Body, psyche and symbol: the paintings of Kevin Roberts

Abstract

According to Jung, everything is a manifestation of the psyche: thus the body in art is a manifestation of psyche, embodied in symbols. In the close link between body and mind, symbols relate to processes of human development. Kevin Roberts (1965-2009) was a well-known South African painter of beautiful, serene female figures in recognisable local landscapes, surrounded by ordinary objects that contribute to a layering of symbolic meanings. Although it makes a specific contribution to South African art, his work has been little investigated from a scholarly perspective. In order to interpret selected paintings, this paper uses a Jungian approach, because Jung’s theories on the collective unconscious, archetypes, anima, nature and symbols are well established and provide suitable frameworks or ‘myths’ for rich interpretations that elucidate the connections between personal and universal meanings. A theoretical framework concerning mind and body from writings by Jung and the writings of neo-Jungians, evolutionary psychologists and psychoanalytic critics, is used to interpret selected paintings by Roberts, taking into account the body and its inter-relationship with the mind.

Volgens Jung is alles ’n manifestasie van die psige, en dus is die liggaam in kuns ook ‘n manifestasie van die psige soos vergestalt in simbole. Simbole verwys, in die hegte verwantskap tussen liggaam en syn, na die proses van menslike ontwikkeling. Kevin Roberts (1965-2009) was ‘n bekende Suid-Afrikaanse skilder wat aantreklike, rustige vroulike figure vasgevang het in herkenbare plaaslike landskappe, omring deur gewone objekte wat bydra tot die simboliese lae van die visuele beeld. Alhoewel sy bydrae tot Suid Afrikaanse kuns beduidend is, is sy werk nog skrams ondersoek deur die akademie. Hierdie artikel maak gebruik van ’n Jungiaanse raamwerk om geselekteerde skilderye te interpreteer aangesien Jung se teorieë oor die kollektiewe bewussyn, argetipes, anima, die natuur en simbole ingegrawe is in psigoanalitiese teorie, en ‘n goeie raamwerk aangaande “mites” voorsien vir ‘n gul interpretasie van kuns wat ook die verband tussen die persoonlike en die universele na vore bring. ’n Teoretiese raamwerk aangaande die ligaam-syn verband, gebaseer op Jung se skrywe sowel as die skrywe van neo-Jungiaanse teoretici, evolusie sielkundiges en psigoanalitiese kritici, word ingespan om geselekteerde skilderye deur Roberts te interpreteer. Hierdie interpretasie neem die nou verband tussen die mens se liggaam en syn in ag.