Animus

Animus
Acrylic, Oil, and Pastel on Canvas (16x24 inches)
Created in Mexico City, 2025

This painting explores the Animus, the inner masculine aspect of the psyche described by Carl Jung. Here, the Animus is not shown as control or dominance, but as movement, longing, and direction, a force that seeks relationship rather than separation.

Jacob’s Ladder appears through ladder-like markings and vertical lines, symbolizing a bridge between different levels of the psyche. Traditionally, Jacob’s Ladder represents the connection between earth and heaven; in Jungian terms, it symbolizes the movement between the unconscious and the conscious. It suggests ascent not as escape, but as integration, the psyche reaching upward while remaining grounded.

The flower and flowing forms evoke the feminine, intuition, emotion, and creative life. The ladder’s presence alongside these elements suggests the masculine’s desire for the feminine, not as possession, but as necessity. Balance emerges through relationship, structure meeting feeling, direction meeting receptivity.

Together, the symbols reflect a psyche seeking wholeness. The painting proposes that true integration occurs when the masculine and feminine recognize their interdependence, forming a dynamic equilibrium rather than a hierarchy.