Narcissus and Echo – Narcissistic Dyads in the Works of Ovid, Poussin and their Links to Psychoanalytic Theory

March 4, 2014
Lecturer: Adele Tutter, MD
Discussant: Christine Anzieu MD

Nicholas Poussin’s four paintings on the theme of Narcissus and Echo, completed over the course of three decades, reflect a deepening appreciation of their source in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Poussin’s evolving interpretation of the myth of Narcissus parallels critical junctures in the development of psychoanalytic theories of narcissism, and supports a radical reappraisal of the enigmatic myth at the heart of psychoanalytic theory and practice. Dr. Tutter, using slides of the images, links the works of Poussin and Ovid to the writings of Freud, Kohut, Winnicot and others.