katie mccue the uncanny

In Freud’s essay, “The Uncanny,” he talks of the relationship between individuals who are in fact living, breathing, functioning beings and those that are inanimate objects. But, does this necessarily mean they are lifeless? The reading was definitely at times over my head, but I did feel that the closer the living being is to this inanimate or life less object, the more real it becomes to that person. The story, “The Sandman,” shows just that. This feeling we get, and I related to his reference to our childhood experiences with dolls, somewhere hoping they do come to life, is something that lingers within all of us at one time or another. This aspect of real or fake, alive or lifeless becomes distorted. I also feel that as an artist, especially in photography, a picture takes on a life of its own, not only due to the people or things within the frame, but the photographer also. I feel that way about al art work though I do not think many people realize how much life is given to art not only through the artists, but the viewers themselves.