George Mayer

Anima Portrait #1, 2020

Limited Edition of 12

Printed on Hahnemühle Paper

A label with the Edition Number, Signature and Fingerprint of the artist is attached verso

The psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung believed that there was a feminine beginning, or female part of the psychic setup, in the subconsciousness of every man. He gave it the name "Anima", which is "soul" in translation from Latin.

The anima is a personification of all feminine psychological qualities that a man possesses, such as haziness and vagueness of feelings and moods, emotional sensitivity, prophetic insights, susceptibility to the irrational and the capability for individual love. If a man does not try to relate with his anima, he gets what Jung called "a loss of soul", i.e., a lack of vitality, flexibility and humaneness.
In the process of working on creative projects, George Mayer tends to resort to a kind of meditation and tries to establish a connection with his anima, which is depicted as a nude female figure. The touch with one’s subconscious mind helps get rid of rigidity, rudeness, and one-sidedness and, eventually, bonds with the Unconscious.

The red circle on the works is a reference to the planet Mars. The ancient Greeks associated this celestial body with the God of war, Ares, who was the personification of pure violence and cruelty. In Western astrology, Mars is associated with the aggressive masculine element, the will and active sexuality. Mars manages wars, disasters, natural disasters, and accidents.
In the artwork the anima becomes positive, it is opposed to aggression, soothing it and helping to find inner harmony.

All lighting effects are achieved in the photo studio using only lighting equipment. Digital image processing was not utilized.