Sex and Destruction in Spanish Surrealism: Buñuel, Dalí and Lorca according to the Death Drive

Abstract

The present paper takes as starting point the different theories about the Death drive conceived by Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein –who is considered by many to be the first woman in the history of psychoanalysis. Taking this context as our main conceptual basis, the objective pursued consists of analyzing several aspects of the life and work of three important figures of Spanish Contemporary Art History, closely linked by a productive friendship in their youth. We are referring to Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. Consequently, the main aim is to study the creative universe of these three artists according to the fundamental theories created by Freud and Spielrein in relation to the phenomenon of sexuality and death, thus considering the extent to which we are able to speak of influences or connections between these theories and the aforementioned artists.