Creativity: Patterns of Creative Imagination as Seen Through Art

In his trenchant and all encompassing analysis of the emergence of autonomous imagination in the works of artists, Paul Brutsche lays out a theory of creativity that is deeply grounded in Western philosophy and contemporary Jungian thought. Brutsche's insights reach boldly for the stars in claiming transcendence for creativity in human existence. This is a summary of decades of research and observation and a devout tribute to creativity and especially to its manifestations in the domain of art. It is a feast for the eye and the mind.

Murray Stein, PhD, author of Jung's Map of the Soul

With a wide breadth of comprehension Paul Brutsche outlines the many forms of creativity, then to distinguish the special gifts of the creative artist. The author's fine sensitivity and incredible flare for detail offer new perspectives on many famous paintings. He elaborates on the painter's imagination, self-observation, sensitivity, life-experiences, and cultural anchoring as the essential ingredients that give birth to the great masterpieces of Western Art. Paul Brutsche has written an inspiring book on creativity.

John Hill, MA, Author of At Home in the World: Sounds and Symmetries of Belonging

Paul Brutsche gifts us with a jewel of a book on the autonomous creative force that trespasses on intellectual and artistic skills, exerting its archetypal demands on the whole personality of the creator. In erudite and highly differentiated ways, drawing from manifold sources and decades of experience as a Jungian analyst, Brutsche carefully leads us from painting to painting, inviting our participation in myriad and mysterious expressions of creative energy. A truly unique book that opens areas hitherto neglected in the literature on creative imagination.

Kathrin Asper, PhD, author of The Abandoned Child Within: On Losing and Regaining Self-Worth

Paul Brutsche, Ph.D., has a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Zürich. He graduated from the C.G. Jung Institute Zürich in 1975 and is a training analyst and supervisor at the International School of Analytical Psychology (ISAPZURICH). Since his doctoral thesis on the psychological meaning of pictures in analysis and his work as director of the Picture Archives of the C.G. Jung Institute he has been interested in questions of picture interpretation, symbolism in art and creativity and has regularly lectured and published on this topic.