The role of consciousness and the unconscious in creating the composition in painting

Painting is based on visual perception and this is directed by composition. Composition is a structural system, a narrative arrangement in which the elements in a painting come together. The role of consciousness and the unconscious in the creation of composition in painting is an inseparable whole. Since the first half of the 20th century, the principles of Gestalt theory on perceiving the whole in the part-whole relationship along with the principles and elements of Design have been used to explain and create the mathematical basis of composition. However, artists do not create their paintings only with consciousness, like formulas of a mathematical problem. Likewise, only the uncontrolled unconscious can not create a meaningful whole in a painting. The role of the unconscious in the work of art is related to game. In the process of painting, just like in a game, intense experiences are practised and the unconscious tends to appear on the level of consciousness. In the process of the creation of the painting and the composition, the conscious and the unconscious direct, transform and nourish each other, and sometimes even at some points there is a dynamic tension between them. In order to activate the unconscious, which is the source of creativity, methods that enable pareidolia and coincidence, such as automatism, where mental control is suspended, are used. Encounters with the unconscious in painting are realized through unplanned shapes, repetitions, clumsy actions or mistakes. With the triggered chains of associations, both creativity increases and the painting begins to find its meaning. The source of the associations caused by coincidence is memory. Disturbing memories suppressed in the unconscious come to the level of consciousness as censored and encrypted, and the image that appears on the canvas is transformed and metaphorized as a result of this encryption. Through the use of the free association method, the hidden meaning of the painting can be revealed by metaphorical analysis of unconscious images, as well as the relationship of these images with memory, memories and thoughts. In the composition of the painting, it is concluded that consciousness and the unconscious act in a spiral as a whole. Key Words: Painting, Composition, Consciousness, Unconscious, Memory