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The present paper is a continuation of preoccupations giving rise to preliminary investigative studies, finally brought to some focus in "The Childhood of the Artist" (Greenacre, 1957). The subject of creativity had not previously been in the arena of my clinical research interests and I had never expected to tackle it. Perhaps I was intimidated by a latent interest which might become too engrossing. At any rate, it was through the stimulation—even the persistent prodding of the late Ernst Kris that my concern with the subject was brought into the daylight. Now I am grateful for this gift—surprising to me at the time and hesitatingly accepted. His friendship was immensely enriching; and I am glad of this opportunity to contribute to an occasion in his honor and memory.
The study of the creative artist presents, from the analyst's angle, a particularly difficult set of obstacles. First, not many very creative people come to analysts—at least they do not come to me; second, they present peculiarly difficult problems in analysis; third, the publication of clinical material from their analyses contains unique hazards. The study of the analyses of moderately gifted people is of great help, but I found that I had to have contact with the patient of marked gift before I adequately appreciated and used fully the depths of those of slight or moderate gift, in collecting my observations and translating them into the beginnings of theory. I turn then, in order to supplement my own clinical observations, to the study of creative artists of the past, whose lives are moderately well known and whose artistic products are also available. As this requires an enormous amount of investigation, any such study proceeds very