Oedipus Rex

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes Max Ernst's artwork "Oedipus Rex" through the Freudian Oedipus complex and through the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles. The paper considers how the surrealistic style of Ernst is used to depict the symbolic sexual tension between father, mother and son, especially in the case of the walnut and the arrow that penetrates it. The paper explains that this type of Freudian approach to painting is part of Ernst's desire to reflect his own inner conflicts.

From the Paper:

"The painting Oedipus Rex (1922) by Max Ernst was a direct result of his fascination with birds and the idea of a deeper unconscious mind working beneath the veil of surface thoughts. Ernst believed fervently in the premise of the bird as a symbol of how mankind sought to be free through flight, which acts in accordance with the Freudian concept of condensation. The link between the play by Sophocles and the painting only invigorate this idea, since the premise of the son in Freud's theory is to free himself from fatherly constraints to bond with his mother in intercourse. The nut being portrayed in the painting is clearly a female symbol of the vulva with the male fingers vying to enter it."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ernst, Max. "Oedipus Rex (1922)." 2007. Duke University. April 16, 2007. <http://www.duke.edu/web/lit132/oedipus.jpg>

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