Courting Medusa or a Poetic Approach to the Critical Theory of Creative Processes in the Arts

Abstract

The article aims to expose the concept of “process documents” through a mythical format, touching on the position of the critic and the artist in relation to records, in addition to the immateriality of the creative process and the challenges of artistic creation. This approach is justified by enabling the reading of complex and abstract notions belonging to the critical theory of creative processes in the arts through a structure closely linked to human experience, that is, telling stories. To this end, the Greek myth of Perseus and Medusa was selected, especially the section in which the hero uses his shield as a mirror, in order to be able to see Medusa, given that this episode allows us to establish a bridge with the potential of the documents of process of enabling the glimpse of something, a priori, invisible, that is, the creative process itself. The breadth of meanings provided by the symbolic figures that make up the narrative and the specific way in which they relate enable an in-depth poetic investigation of the nature of the aforementioned concepts. For the theoretical basis and development of the discussion, the reasoning developed by Gaston Bachelard was used regarding the essential elements from which the creative movement originates - with emphasis on the water element - and the concepts of archetype and unconscious belonging to Analytical Psychology, formulated by Carl Jung. The study presents a qualitative approach and the procedure used was bibliographical research, emphasizing the unique contribution of Cecilia Almeida Salles.