Here some excerpts from my article published on e-jungian.com . There are situations in which the psyche uses defense mechanisms that were useful for the psychological survival in childhood, but in adulthood they are not and 1may even become harmful, blocking the psychological growth and hindering the process of regeneration.
The situations which I am going to present in this article are extreme situations, very rare and painful, but it is interesting to analyze the psychic images that accompany them, to grasp some warning signs. These are three people who died prematurely of cancer: Domenico Gnoli died at age 37, Mary at 12 and Luke at 47 years.
The paintings of Domenico Gnoli
Domenico Gnoli, a painter, illustrator and scenographer, died of cancer at the age of 37 (New York, 1970). He began to paint these pictures five years before his death. We know that he lived in the United States and traveled a lot: London, Mallorca, Brazil, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia.
Looking at the pictures by Domenico Gnoli I was struck by the choice of detail, as if to isolate something that otherwise would be dangerous, the perfection of representation and especially the feeling of stillness that takes over the image. Everything is aseptic, perfect and tidy, everything is simple and accessible. What is missing is the movement.
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[1]. Caroli F. (1996). Trentasette, il mistero del genio adolescente, pag. 120 e 124, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
[2]. Marinucci S. (1997). Psicosomatica dei tumori giovanili: immagini e prognosi in Montecchi F. (a cura di) (1997) Il gioco della sabbia nella pratica analitica, Franco Angeli Editore