The way that the paranoiac-critical method works in the interpretation of art is by analyzing, through psychoanalysis, various artistic free associations that are not consciously intended. The supposed end product is a fuller understanding of the work and a near-perfect understanding of why the work has a particular emotional effect. Paranoiac-critical interpretation is discussed in some of my previous blog posts: in Salvador Dali's Paranoiac-Critical Method which discusses Dali's paranoiac interpretation of "The Angelus," and also "The Moses of Michelangelo" by Sigmund Freud which discusses Freud's influence on this method of interpretation.
Salvador Dali also used this method outside of interpretation. The best example is his famous painting "Metamorphosis of Narcissus." By consciously creating free associations and thereby forcing the viewer to have a paranoiac view of the painting (that is to say, a view that resembles paranoia, linking two distinct objects without rationality), Dali creates both a disorienting image as well as a philosophical statement that relates to the unconscious mind.
The painting follows from the Greek mythological character Narcissus, a man who was known for his extreme beauty. The myth ends tragically, with Narcissus falling in love with his own image that he sees in the water, starving himself to death because of his inability to simply look away. On the left of the painting, we see a yellowish Narcissus, staring at his reflection in the water. The paranoiac creation is of course the hand holding an egg out of which a flower is sprouting. The fact that both of the images resemble each other in shape and size demonstrates, according to Dali, our unconscious mind's ability to create paranoiac images. Furthermore, Dali may have also been attempting to go deeper with the symbolism. Perhaps the egg, a symbol of sexuality, juxtaposed with the image of a conceited and sexually appealing Narcissus serves to demonstrate that these paranoiac associations do in fact have a deeper meaning than we originally believe. The same could be said for the fact that the flower sprouting from the egg is actually a daffodil, also known as a narcissus.
We have already discussed Sigmund Freud's free associations and how they work into various works of art. Salvador Dali continues this trend, but in a much more creative way. His invention of these mirrored paranoiac images conveys the idea of free association in a surprising and beautiful way, encouraging the viewer to watch, think, and enjoy.
