This course will explore the forces that artists struggle with – many of them similar to our own troubles – such as pain, dysfunctional parenting, unresolved internal conflicts, societal failure, and physical insults. We will look at the oral rage of Leonardo da Vinci, the suppressed aggression of Jackson Pollock, the feelings of unworthiness of Vincent van Gogh, and the fear of success of Sylvia Plath, among others. These and other artists have used their art as a way to express their demons in a successful format.