The unconscious revealed through abstraction: a critical journey in the works of Maurizio D'Andrea

Maurizio D'Andrea, an internationally acclaimed artist, is renowned for his painting language, rich with psychoanalytic symbolism. He stands among the few contemporary creators capable of effectively navigating the tumultuous sea of the unconscious. His works are not merely abstract compositions, but genuine visual journeys that evoke themes explored by Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, where symbols become the key to unveiling the profound mysteries of the human psyche. In this article, we analyze two of his most emblematic works, "Mi.R bb63" and "MiR bb42," masterpieces that, with their forms and colors, succeed in capturing the inner unrest and search of the human being.

Mi.R bb63: The Fragmentation of Being

The first painting, "Mi.R bb63," is an explosion of lines and colors, a canvas that captures the movement of nonlinear thoughts. The lines intersect and blend, as if they were trying to emerge from the artist’s inner chaos. A clear human figure is not perceived, but fragments of bodies, perhaps faces, dissolve into color. For D'Andrea, this represents the individual struggling with their unconscious, with truth. The black lines cutting through the painting and the blurred colors could be seen as manifestations of repressed thoughts trying to surface, sometimes violently.

The opaque technique speaks of a soul in disintegration, fighting to remain whole. Freud might have seen this as a representation of the ego teetering between the conscious and the unconscious, where the subject desperately tries to resolve conflicts emerging from childhood, from fears and unexpressed desires. More or less hidden texts speak of truth and unrest.

MiR bb42: The Cycle of Transformation

"MiR bb42" is different in its emotional impact, but equally profound. Here, the artist abandons the chaos of lines for a more fluid composition, dominated by a large spiral that seems to attract every element of the canvas. The spiral, a quintessential Jungian symbol, represents the process of individuation: the long journey the human being undertakes to find oneself, to integrate one’s shadows and become a complete individual.

Warm colors, such as orange and red, blend with delicate shades of blue and white, suggesting a movement of expansion and contraction. Moreover, the spiral brings with it a clear reference to the cycle of life, the constant repetition of experiences that, though similar, transform us in different ways. The juxtaposition of blue and orange could represent the process of integration between the Self and the Shadow, two fundamental aspects of the psyche according to Jung, which, through art, find a space for dialogue.

A Journey into the Collective Unconscious

Both works are an invitation to enter not only the artist's unconscious but the unconscious of all humanity. D'Andrea succeeds in capturing, through painting that is as visceral as it is reflective, the dark and luminous sides of the human experience. His canvases do not tell linear stories but evoke sensations and thoughts that resonate on an archetypal level. The choice of an opaque, tortured technique is no accident: it is the physical manifestation of a tumultuous inner reality, scraped and excavated on the canvas, as if searching for a hidden truth.

Freud and Jung are present, as silent spectators, in D'Andrea’s work. The conflicts of the ego, repressed impulses, the cycles of death and rebirth of the psyche—all are explored through abstraction, a language that, by its nature, does not lend itself to a single reading but rather allows for multiple interpretations. Thus, the viewer is not only confronted with the work but with their own unconscious, reflected in the forms and colors of these paintings.

Maurizio D'Andrea’s painting is a profound call to look within oneself, to confront the hidden and unresolved parts of one’s soul. "Mi.R bb63" and "MiR bb42" are two stages of a journey that leads the viewer to immerse in a sea of emotions, memories, and desires. D'Andrea does not provide answers but opens doors, leaving it to the observer to pass through them and discover what lies beyond. His works, ultimately, are maps to explore the mysterious territory of the unconscious, in a constant dialogue between art and psyche.

Author's Website: www.dandreart.info

Movement's Website: www.introversicoradicale.it

News: www.drimmarte.com