A psychoanalytic view of image formation based on Freud's analysis of Leonardo and Mona Lisa

This research aims to study the process by which an image forms in the mind of an artist. Why and how these images are selected, recurring ones in particular, has been questioned and the answer has been sought in the theories of psychoanalysis. For this purpose, the research sets out with a basic account of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic theories pertaining to the formation of image have been explained briefly to prevent the reader from getting lost in this vast field. The joining of the fields of psychoanalysis and art has been briefly studied and a practical benefit of this union has been laid out. The formation of an image in light of psychoanalytic theories has been exemplified by Freud's analysis on Leonardo Da Vinci. In order to keep it as objective as possible the research has been enriched with criticism against the particular analysis as well as the practice of psychoanalysis in general. Finally, the author's art project which has been initiated with regard to this research is introduced, samples are presented, and their association with the subject of the research has been established.