Vincent van Gogh: Emerging Artist

By Lida Prypchan
At 29 years old, in January of 1882, after a second spurred marriage proposal combined with his subsequent loss of faith, Vincent van Gogh moved to The Hague to pursue a career in art, as a peasant painter. He studied the works of Jean-François Millet, a French painter noted for his illustrations of...

Vincent van Gogh: Beyond the Potato Eaters (1885-1886)

By Lida Prypchan
The Vincent van Gogh of the mid 1880s would, for most, be completely unrecognizable as the artist of popular repute. To date, he embraced somber, dark colors and refused the commercially viable style of the era’s Impressionist artists. But, van Gogh believed in his work. His subjects gave him the...

The Oedipus Complex and Emotional Instability

By Lida Prypchan
“KNOW THYSELF” In 1897 Freud began what can be considered the most heroic act of his life – the psychoanalysis of his own unconscious. The ancient oracle of Delphi had from ancient times encouraged philosophers and thinking persons to pursue the maxim “Know thyself,” but unconsciously resisting,...

Wilhelm Reich: The Function of Orgasm

By Lida Prypchan
One thing we can say about the life of Wilhelm Reich is that it was troubled. A photograph I have at hand reveals a man with a penetrating stare, protruding lips, deep wrinkles, and an expression of disillusion. Maybe it was because the era in which he lived lacked the understanding necessary for him...