Psychoanalytic biography and art history: A critical study of psychobiographical approaches to Leonardo da Vinci

The psychobiographical literature on Leonardo da Vinci provides an ideal test case of the applied psychoanalysis. Starting with Freud's study in 1910, Leonardo has attracted more psychoanalytic, and in particular psychobiographical, attention for a longer period of time than any other visual artist. The dissertation evaluates the factual and art historical basis of psychoanalytic claims regarding Leonardo and the extent to which these claims illuminate his art. Although one cannot easily separate the reconstruction of Leonardo's inner world from interpretations of his imagery, the dissertation focuses primarily on those psychobiographical issues that bear importantly on art works. Both psychoanalytic theory and Leonardo scholarship have undergone profound changes since the appearance of Freud's monograph and the dissertation considers the extent to which Freud's and subsequent studies hold up in the light of developments in both disciplines. The dissertation also examines methodological questions and the role of psychobiography within art history. In addition to Freud's work, the dissertation scrutinizes psychoanalytic writings on Leonardo by Kurt Eissler, Andre Green, and Jean-Pierre Maidani-Gerard as well as the reactions of art historians such as Meyer Schapiro. The dissertation does not challenge the basic tenets of psychoanalytic theory. On the contrary, it uses psychoanalysis to deepen and expand the psychobiographical understanding of Leonardo's creations.