Skin and the non-human human: Transformation and reversal in Titian's the Flaying of Marsyas

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The article puts forward an aesthetic and psychoanalytic analysis of Titian's painting, The Flaying of Marsyas, arguing that the painting is a reflection on the human subject as a being constituted by skin and by a core of non-humanity. The analysis is partly an answer to Melanie Hart's (2007) article 'Visualizing the mind: Looking at Titian's Flaying of Marsyas', addressing features of the painting not commented on by Hart, and supplementing Hart's (Kleinian) theoretical frame by involving Didier Anzieu's 'skin ego', Slavoj Zizek's concept of the 'non-human', Giorgio Agamben's term of the 'Muselmann', and Anton Ehrenzweig's psychoanalytic theory of artistic creation. Whereas Hart is focusing on form and colour, I also turn my attention towards the texture of the painting.
Translated title of the contributionHuden og det ikke-menneskelige menneske: Transformation og omvending i Tizians Marsyas
Original languageEnglish
JournalBritish Journal of Psychotherapy
Volume29
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)98-109
Number of pages12
ISSN0265-9883
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2013

ID: 105306262