Art & Psychology

Tabula Rasa

In 1690, the English philosopher, John Locke, first described the theory of “tabula rasa,”  by proposing that human beings are born with a “blank slate,” a mind without structure, rules, or content.  As babies grow and develop, they begin to acquire perceptions and knowledge that lead further and further toward the development of personality.

A second meaning of tabula rasa refers to a “blank slate” stance that some therapists employ during the therapy process.  In this approach,  no information about the therapist is revealed to the client.  This therapeutic stance, which began primarily in psychoanalytic practice, presents the therapist as a blank screen.  The blank therapeutic relationship permits clients to project their conscious and unconscious mental, emotional and psychosocial issues onto the therapist.   Analysis of these projections becomes part of the focus of therapy.

Thirdly, when an artist begins a painting project, the starting point is also a “tabula rasa” in the form of a white canvas.   For centuries, artists began creative processes on a blank cave wall, or on some other blank substrate.as a starting point.  In the visual arts, drawing and painting materials ranging from charcoal to colorful paint pigments are applied to a white space in various ways in order to depict “art.”

The first question in the artist’s mind is usually “How do I begin?”