Abstract
In Petite Anatomie de l’image (1949), Hans Bellmer, an artist, describes a body image theory that assumes human anatomy to be subjective, imagined, and even permeated by psychopathological states. Thus, Bellmer shows an inner body designed by memory traces and purely mental image, that is, he introduces an instinctual body. Based on his work, we analyze what artists can teach lacanian psychoanalysis regarding one’s own body and its representation, as they are important concepts for work in the clinic. Thus, a valuable indication guides this discussion: the secret of image is castration.
Keywords:
image; own body; enjoyment; castration