Since Freud wrote his Leonardo da Vinci in 1910, psychoanalysis has shed new and sometimes disturbing light on both the lives and works of great artists. Although controversial, psychoanalytic writing on art has proven dramatically that a full grasp of many works is impossible without an understanding of the artist’s inner life in all of its complexity. In addition to Leonardo this course will focus on three masters – Michelangelo, Van Gogh, and Picasso – whose art, rich in autobiographical content, has been usefully discussed from a psychoanalytic perspective. A close examination of key monuments will reveal how each artist’s psyche consciously and unconsciously shaped his creations. Readings will include both psychoanalytic and art historical literature.