Essential Others and Spontaneous Recovery in the Life and Work of Emily Carr: Implications for Understanding Remission of Illness and Resilience

Int J Psychoanal Self Psychol. 2016 Jan 2;11(1):28-49. doi: 10.1080/15551024.2016.1107408. Epub 2015 Dec 3.

Abstract

Artist Emily Carr 1A majority of paintings by Emily Carr are in the permanent collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Others may be viewed in the National Gallery of Ontario and the British Columbia Archives in Victoria, BC. They are also available as photographed reproductions on the web at vancouverartgallery.bc.ca. 1 (1871-1945) has attained iconic status in Canada and throughout the world for her prodigious output as a painter and writer of the Pacific Northwest. This article describes how the arrival of three "essential others" at pivotal moments in middle life helped lift Carr out of a serious, lifelong depression and nurtured and inspired her creative output. I propose that Carr's productivity and psychological recovery were facilitated by sequential, cumulative input from these generative human contacts. The creative partnership formed between an artist and her muse has features akin to the patient/therapist dyad, ranging from sparking new and healthier adaptations, to reshaping the internal landscape via internalization, to facilitation and promotion of unique talent. This psychobiographical study of Emily Carr is a vehicle for clinicians to further contemplate elements imbedded in our daily work that give rise to greater resilience, spontaneous recovery from illness, and personal transformation in the lives of our patients.

L’artiste Emily Carr (1871–1945) a atteint un statut iconique au Canada et à travers le monde pour sa prodigieuse production en tant que peintre et écrivain du Pacifique Nord-Ouest. Cet article décrit comment l’arrivée de trois “autres essentiels” à des moments pivots au moitié de sa vie a aidé à sortir Carr d’une sérieuse dépression de longue durée et a nourri et inspiré sa production créatrice. Je propose que la productivité et la guérison pychologique de Carr ont été facilitées par l’apport séquentiel et cumulatif de ces contacts humains générateurs. Le partenariat créateur entre un artiste et sa muse comporte des aspects semblables à la dyade patient/thérapeute, allant de la stimulation de nouvelles et plus saines adaptations, à la restructuration du paysage intérieur via l’internalisation, à la facilitation et la promotion d’un talent unique. Cette étude psychobiographique d’Emily Carr est un véhicule pour les cliniciens pour mieux saisir les éléments ancrés dans notre travail quotidien donnant lieu à une plus grande résilience, à une guérison spontanée de la maladie, et à la transformation personnelle dans les vies de nos patients.

L’artista Emily Carr (1871–1945) ha conseguito lo status di icona in Canada e nel mondo per la sua portentosa produzione come pittrice e scrittrice dell’area nord-occidentale del Pacifico. Il lavoro descrive come l’arrivo di tre “altri essenziali” in momenti decisivi nell’età di mezzo della Carr le permisero di sollevarsi da una grave depressione durata tutta la vita e alimentarono e ispirarono la sua creatività. Io avanzo l’ipotesi che la produttività della Carr e la sua guarigione psichica siano state facilitate dall’apporto successivo e cumulativo rappresentato da questi rigeneranti contatti umani. Il legame creativo tra l’artista e la sua musa ha connotati simili a quelli della diade paziente/terapeuta, che vanno dal dar vita a modalità adattive nuove e più adeguate al rimodellare il paesaggio interno attraverso l’interiorizzazione fino a facilitare e promuovere talenti specifici. Questo studio psico-biografico di Emily Carr è per i clinici un modo per considerare ulteriormente i fattori intrinseci al lavoro quotidiano che determinano nei pazienti una più ampia resilienza, la guarigione spontanea dalla malattia e la trasformazione personale della loro vita.

Keywords: creative partnership; essential other; middle age; midlife development; muse; mutative factors in psychoanalysis; resilience; spontaneous recovery; therapeutic action.