Collecting, An Unruly Passion: Psychological Perspectives.

Collecting, An Unruly Passion: Psychological Perspectives. Wherever people have enjoyed the privilege of surplus wealth, howevermodest this might be, they have usually committed it to the acquisitionof goods, the choice of which was determined either by the aspirationsof their peer group, or by their specialist personal interest in someparticular subject. Medieval monarchs and great lords collected bothholy relics and exquisite works in gold to deck the shelves of theirdressers, thus creating a most potent display of their wealth, power andtaste. Scholars and researchers collected specimens which eitherprovided irrefutable irrefutable - The opposite of refutable. material evidence for their theories, or acted asfertile sources for new discoveries in their chosen field. Artists andcraftspeople crafts��people?pl.n.People who practice a craft; artisans. , who were peculiarly able to appreciate the eloquence ofform and skilful ingenuity displayed in the works of their fellows andpredecessors, built up collections which served both to record theprocess of their craft and to provide inspiration for their owncreativity. For some, who responded to the basic human trait ofdecorating that which they valued most highly, collecting could embracethe fields of jewellery, costume or household goods, while for others,collecting was a means of fulfilling a deeper personal need.As the standards of living have improved throughout the Westernworld, especially over the past 150 years, collecting has become one ofthe major recreational activities enjoyed by all levels of society.Every weekend hundreds of thousands of collectors eagerly set off toexplore car-boot sales, flea-markets, antique centres and galleries tohunt down their chosen quarry. To serve their needs, there aretelevision programmes, newspapers and journals, and a wealth ofspecialist books, courses and societies. When coupled with the nationaland international antiques trade, they represent a majormulti-million-pound industry, a significant part of the economic andrecreational life of modern society.Particularly over the last 10 years or so in this country, theacademic world has begun to realize that people and institutionsactually collect. It has therefore started to study this phenomenon, andto publish its findings. The results to date can be seen to have adoptedfour main approaches. The first, and perhaps the most positivecontribution, has been the detailed academic study of the history ofcollections, particularly those published in the Journal of the Historyof Collections founded in Oxford in 1989. Secondly there is thetraditional art historian's approach, with research and observationused as the basis for considerable interpretation. Thirdly comes therecording of current collectors' experiences and objectives, andfinally there is the psychological approach to collecting, either ingeneral terms, or as it affects the individual. All of these strands areincluded in The cultures of collecting, while Collecting, an unrulypassion places more emphasis on the psychological approach.The purpose of The cultures of collecting is to offer 'abricolage bri��co��lage?n.Something made or put together using whatever materials happen to be available: "Even the decor is a bricolage, a mix of this and that"Los Angeles Times. of theoretical, descriptive and historical papers whosecollective ambition is not to invoke canons and confirm taste, but tolay bare to make bare; to strip.- Bacon.See also: Lay a phenomenon at once psychological and social, one that has notonly its less than obvious material history, but is also a continuingcontemporary presence'. Its series of 12 essays, largely byuniversity academics, offers a very useful diversity of approaches tothe study of collecting. Of these, the historical studies are excellent.Thomas Kaufmann's account of the collections of the AustrianHabsburgs from the 14th to the late 19th centuries demonstrates how theywere established as an all-embracing dynastic treasury, emphasizingImperial might and sovereignty. Later they were subject to all thevicissitudes of inheritance, patronage, despoliation de��spo��li��a��tion?n.The act of despoiling or the condition of being despoiled.[Late Latin dspoli , re-housing anddivision before finally emerging as public institutions with a strongscholastic and educative ed��u��ca��tive?adj.Educational.Adj. 1. educative - resulting in education; "an educative experience"instructive, informative - serving to instruct or enlighten or inform purpose. Anthony Shelton's study of theincorporation of New World material into European Renaissancecollections commences with a splendid overview of the intellectualstructure of early collections, especially the encyclopaedic Adj. 1. encyclopaedic - broad in scope or content; "encyclopedic knowledge"encyclopediccomprehensive - including all or everything; "comprehensive coverage"; "a comprehensive history of the revolution"; "a comprehensive survey"; "a comprehensive education" idealembodied in the Cabinets of Curiosities. He then describes the fate ofthe gold, silver, precious stones and featherwork acquired from theAmericas by the Spanish, and their inclusion within the'Pagan' classification of Europe's museums. Both paperspresent the greatest breadth of evidence in a thoroughly considered yeteasily digested form.A number of other studies, such as Peter Cardinal on the collectingand collage-making of the artist Kurt Schwitters Kurt Schwitters (June 20, 1887 - January 8, 1948) was a German painter who was born in Hannover, Germany.Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including Dadaism, Constructivism, Surrealism, poetry, sound, painting, collage, sculpture, graphic design, typography and , Nicholas Thomas onCook's Pacific voyages, John Elsner on the house and museum of thearchitect Sir John Soane Sir John Soane (10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light and Susan Stewart For the "As the World Turns" character, see Dr. Susan Stewart.Susan Stewart is an American poet, university professor and literary critic born in 1952. on the works of theartist/curator, Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier and naturalist. Early lifePeale was born in Chester, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the son of Charles Peale and his wife Margaret. , each present a useful body offactual information on their subject, and then use this to developarguments to reveal their meaning and significance. In some cases theirconclusions must remain highly debatable. The illustrations ofindividual specimens in accounts of Cook's voyages followconventions current in every archaeological and natural history reportfrom the 17th century through to the present day, but here they aresingled out as a seeming puzzle. Why should they be shown separately in'decontextualized', 'dehumanized' alienation on ablank page? As any professional illustrator knows, the function of suchdrawings is to present the most accurate two-dimensional information ofartefacts which the observer may perhaps never see, but may wish toconsult for his particular purposes. Just imagine the alternative, withevery archaeological pot drawing, for example, all cluttered up withmud, hands, wooden spoons and boiling pottage! Similarly, we mayconsider that Sir John Soane showed a good deal of practical commonsense when he designed a display stand for his architectural models inthe attic In the Attic can refer to: In The Attic (webcast) In the Attic (band) of his house/museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Models ofmajor classical buildings were shown close to eye-level, beneath askylight, where they could be appreciated from their most realisticviewpoint. Below, at knee-level, lay a huge model of Pompeii, which,illuminated largely by cross-light from windows, could be observed fromthe ideal bird's-eye view, while beneath this, modestly atfloor-level and relatively ill-lit, were models of his own buildings,which could only be closely observed while crawling on the hands andknees. This arrangement, we are told, actually represents Soane'sarrogant claim to be a direct modern representative of the greattraditions of classical architecture. Can this really be so? Suchconclusions cannot be accepted without question.Moving on to collectors of the present, there are two revealingautobiographies; a verbatim interview with Robert Opie, the collector ofadvertising and packaging, and an essay by Naomi Schor, an Americancollector of postcards of belle epoque belle ����poque?n.An era of artistic and cultural refinement in a society, especially in France at the beginning of the 20th century.[French : belle, beautiful + ��poque, era.] Paris. Both are characterized byan enthusiasm for their collecting activities, a sense of the pleasureit gives them and a self-awareness of why they collect, the role itplays in their lives. Neither is just an accumulator of objects, forthey see their collections as physical evidence for all manner of humanactivities, including marketing, design, production methods, socialchange etc. It is interesting to discover that both started theircollecting activities in general fields, but then focused on relativelyrestricted areas, in which they acquired expertise and knowledge. Intheir introduction, the editors state their belief that classificationmust precede collecting. To the academic, this may appear to be alogical progression, but in fact it is virtually impossible to classifyany group of material which you have never seen. The first act of thecollector is usually to observe a whole range of artefacts, then toperceive areas of interest, then to acquire a number of specimens. It isonly at this stage that the knowledge required for classification can beestablished. For mere gatherers, the classification can be extremelyrestrictive, but for the real collector it is a constantly changing,expansive and creative activity, as Robert Opie's evidence makesabundantly clear.When it comes to the psychological aspects of collecting, the essaysof Jean Baudrillard Jean Baudrillard (July 29, 1929– March 6, 2007) (IPA pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ bo.dʀi.jaʀ][1]) was a French cultural theorist, philosopher, political commentator, and photographer. , Meike Bal and John Forrester present a fairlydepressing picture of the collector. Following Freud's studies inthe 1890s, collecting. is seen as a largely male activity, for mencollect substitutes for the conquests they never had, they invest inobjects what they cannot invest in human relationships, and they cannever entirely shake off an air of impoverished and depleted humanity. Ihave encountered perhaps a few dozen such individuals over the past 35years, in contrast to many hundreds for whom collecting was just anenriching element within their normal, well-balanced family and sociallives, but here no such distinctions are made.Cultures of collecting is useful as a summary of the variedapproaches currently being adopted in the study of collecting,displaying some considerable strengths, but also revealing greatweaknesses. With the exception of John Windsor's timely andinteresting essay on current popular culture, it makes little referenceto collecting as a phenomenon affecting whole societies, it ignores allthe great collectors and their varied motives, and gives the distinctimpression that much of the academic world has little or no experienceof dealing with material culture. However, the inclusion of excellentessays enables it to make a real contribution to the study of thissubject, and, at [pounds]10.95, it represents very good value.In considerable contrast, Werner Muensterberger's Collecting: anunruly passion represents the distillation of some 30 years' studyof collecting from the viewpoint of a practising psychoanalyst withpersonal interests in art and anthropology. To develop his themes, hefirst discusses the essential elements of collecting as a humanactivity, exploring its complex functions, such as a reaction touncertainties and traumas experienced during childhood, an improvisedform of companionship, a competitive hunting instinct, a pleasurablerespite from everyday life, the continuance of a family tradition, orthe confirmation of a superhuman su��per��hu��man?adj.1. Above or beyond the human; preternatural or supernatural.2. Beyond ordinary or normal human ability, power, or experience: "soldiers driven mad by superhuman misery"power expressed through aestheticbeauty. Its areas of interest not only reflect the collectors'individual needs, for it is essentially a solitary activity, but theyalso reflect the changing needs and aspirations of society as a whole.Following these lines of enquiry, we are guided through the rise ofthe Classical Roman trade in antiquities, with all its essential rangeof committed collectors, dealers, fakers and experts (the latter hereinterpreted as father-figures) we would easily recognize today. Incontrast, an examination of collecting in non-Western societies, such asMelanesia and New Guinea New Guinea(gĭn`ē), island, c.342,000 sq mi (885,780 sq km), SW Pacific, N of Australia; the world's second largest island after Greenland. , reveals how objects, particularly parts of thehuman body such as skulls, can be considered to be the embodiment ofessential life-forces, actual religious power and divine patronage intangible form. This was clearly the motivation behind the trade in holyrelics, which dominated Europe up to the Renaissance.The themes introduced in the opening chapters are now furtherexplored and illustrated through a series of detailed studies, usefulboth for their factual information and for the revealing interpretationswhich are drawn from them. First we are introduced to notable individualcollectors, Sir Thomas Phillips (1792-1892), the great accumulator ofbooks and manuscripts, Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), whose need forluxurious and ostentatious os��ten��ta��tious?adj.Characterized by or given to ostentation; pretentious. See Synonyms at showy.os furnishings is expressed in his novels LouisLambert Louis Joseph Lambert, Jr. (born December 21, 1940), is a Louisiana attorney and businessman who is best remembered for having been the first Democrat since Reconstruction to have lost a contested gubernatorial general election to a Republican candidate. and Cousin Pens, and our contemporary 'Martin G',whose passion for oriental works of art brought him into riskycircumstances in Hong Kong Hong Kong(hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. . Secondly, we follow the rise of aristocraticcollecting in European society from the late medieval period, when thetransformation from the belief in mysteries and miracles to the rationalstudy of man in his environment led to holy relics being replaced byantiquities, man-made objects and natural-history specimens in the newall-embracing Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities For the 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, see The Cabinet of CuriositiesCabinets of curiosities (also known as Wunderkammer or wonder-rooms where scientificcollecting originated. Late 16th- and early 17th-century Holland, wherealmost everyone collected paintings, tulips etc., provides a well-chosensubject for the study of collecting as a mass social activity.In the final section of the book, the relationship between thecollector and the objects in his collection is given furtherconsideration. Here the need to collect is not simply put down to aninfantile attitude to faeces, as some psychoanalytical writers wouldhave us believe, but, as is shown both by the historical research andthe numerous interviews with present-day collectors provided here, it isusually due to much deeper and more involved causes. In essence,collecting is explained as a defensive move, which can turn'disillusionment and helplessness into an animated, purposefulventure [which], if kept within these bounds, is by no means anunhealthy ego defence'.Within the bounds of this review, it is impossible to presentanything but the briefest outline of this significant work. It clearlysucceeds in its aim of achieving a better understanding of thephenomenon of collecting and the varied influences which causecollectors to collect. In addition, its detailed studies of notableperiods of collecting, its biographies of individual collectors and itsimpressive international bibliography all combine to make it aninvaluable source of information and potential inspiration for anyoneinterested in this most fascinating of subjects.