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Chris Golson
Professor Heather McPherson
Art History 460
7 September 2015
Freud Analysis
Sigmund Freud was an avid collector of art and loved sculpture and photography. His
love for photography gifted him with the insight of being able to "perceive the moment", that is
to interpret what the artist was thinking when an action was taken. It is this ability, in my
opinion, that allowed him to break down the moments of action leading up to and involving the
positions of Michelangelo's Moses. Freud's love for sculpture made him deeply respect the statue
of Moses, and like most other sculptures he's seen he wanted to study it in depth. Most other
statues and sculptures he could have a miniaturized version of it to study on his desk, but this
statue entranced him so much that he decided to write a paper on it after his first visit in 1901 to
his publishing of the article in 1914. He published this paper anonymously however it wasn't
long before everyone could see his signature in the words that were written. Sigmund Freud
spent years of his life exploring the secrets and attempting to find the truth about this statue and
that is what I will focus on.
We start by first understanding that Sigmund Freud had poorly attempted to cover up his
presence in the paper by publishing anonymously. His repeated visitation to the psychoanalytic
approach all but exposed him in the first paragraph but he did attempt to feign disguise. "I am
unable rightly to appreciate many of the methods used and the effects obtained in art." (Page

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523) He might be telling the truth here but he definitely appreciated the after effect of the
finished piece, or in the case of understanding the Tomb as a whole, unfinished abandoned piece.
His love for the statue didnt allow him to restrain his strategic deconstruction of the piece to find
its true meaning. It is after Freud has seemingly abandoned his attempt to cover up his identity
that we get into the "nitty-gritty" if you will.
Sigmund Freud might say that he doesnt understand the process in which the statue was
made but he definitely can understand the effect it has on the viewer. "What grips us so
powerfully can only be the artist's intention." (Page 524) Freud understands completely that the
statue is meant to have a emotional effect on the viewer, the ability to spark curiosity. Many
historians have tried interpreting the statue's hidden meaning, if there is any at all, Freud himself
asks this question a couple times. "Has then the master-hand indeed traced such a vague or
ambiguous script in the stone, that so many different readings of it are possible?" (Page 526)
Freud wonders what interpretations have any foothold in reality and wants to pursue solving the
mystery for himself.
After debunking several of the other professionals opinions on the statue Freud comes up
with his first conclusion. "We have no alternative but to accept one of the hypotheses which
regard it as a study of character." (Page 529) From this point he can build upon his own
understanding of the motions of the human body and try to unravel what the figure is looking at,
thinking of, and/or preparing for. It is from here that he goes into extreme detail with his ability
that I stated earlier to "perceive the moment" in frame by frame of Moses as he is seated and try
to understand why the Tables of Law are in the position they are, the arms and hands doing what
they are doing, and that mesmerizing gaze that Moses bears upon the background.

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Freud breaks down the image, draws imaginary versions of the statue as if it were alive
and could move freely by itself. "If the left side of Moses' beard lies under the pressure of his
right finger, we may perhaps take this pose as the last stage of some connection between his right
hand and the left half of his beard..." (Page 532) Freud begins to make connections from his
imagination that go on to explain his theory of the statues position. He is now on the same path
as so many professionals before him took to try and describe their understanding of what Moses
is witnessing off to the side. The remarkable statue is said to be the "crown of modern sculpture"
((Grimm) Page 524) and has, since its creation, sent deep thinkers such as Freud "down the
rabbit hole" let's say, attempting to figure out the deepest possible meaning behind it.
Another conclusion that Freud comes upon is "[The Tables] began to slide down and
were in danger of being broken. This brought him to himself. He remembered his mission and
for its sake renounced an indulgence of feelings." (Page 536) So Freud renounces several notions
that the Tables are to be broken in an instant, and renounces other notions that Moses is about to
spring to action. These interpretations I can agree with, after reading and seeing the imaginative
versions of the statue that Freud drew. "But Michelangelo has placed a different Moses on the
tomb of the Pope, one superior to the historical or traditional Moses. He has modified the theme
of the broken Tables; he does not let Moses break them... and makes him calm that wrath, or at
any rate prevent them from becoming an act." (Page 538)
In conclusion Freud's opinions about the statue I can agree with. His ability to read and
break down the moments in an artists mind when rendering the piece is excellent and allowed me
to take the same journey. Freud in conclusion also compares Michelangelo to Pope Julius II,
whose tomb the statue and surrounding unfinished piece was prepared for. "And so he carved his
Moses on the Pope's tomb, not without a reproach against the dead pontiff, as a warning to

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himself, thus, in self-criticism, rising superior to his own nature." (Page 539) In my opinion there
aren't any oversights on Freud's part of his analysis of the statue, he deconstructed and then
reconstructed the statue far beyond others interpretations of it. His informed analysis definitely
opened my eyes to the possibilities of the statue's meanings and reinforced my intrigue in Art
History as a whole.

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Works Cited
Freud, Sigmund, and Peter Gay. "The Moses of Michelangelo." The Freud Reader. New York:
W.W. Norton, 1989. 523-39. Print