Edith Kramer
Encyclopedia
Edith Kramer is known as a social realist painter
, a follower of psychoanalytic theory
and a fore-mother of art therapy
.
. Dicker
was associated with the Bauhaus
in Weimer Germany, and was an artist and art teacher of note. Kramer was influenced by the method for teaching art developed by Bauhaus
artist Joseph Itten
. It was in 1934 after Kramer graduated from Realgymnasium that she, then 18, followed Dicker to Prague
to continue to study under her.It was during this time in Prague that Kramer worked with Dicker in helping children who's parents where political refugees.
By 1938, as a young adult Kramer fled Europe
to America
, specifically New York City
. There she worked for three years teaching sculpture
at the prestigious Little Red School House
. During World War II
Kramer worked at a machine shop in the Soho
district
of New York
. She stayed after her shift to draw the other workers in their industrial setting. Artworks like these are known as social realism
paintings. In 1947 Kramer visited some of the earliest artworks known to man, the caves at Lascaux
. Kramer spoke of these cave paintings as an example of the universal language of art.
At the age of 33 she again returned to America
, and to New York City
, with hopes of making a living as an artist. Raised in a family who was interested in psychoanalytic theory
, Kramer herself became a follower of Sigmund Freud
. Kramer especially believed in the concept of sublimation
. Freudian theory describes sublimation
as a process in which primitive urges coming from the Id
are transformed into socially productive activities that lead to gratification
of the original urge. Edith Kramer's training was in art
, art education
, and psychoanalytically
informed psychotherapy
. Still in her 33rd year, Kramer was offered a job at Wiltwycks School for Boys. This job was arranged for her by Psychoanalyst, Dr. Viola Bernard. In fact, it was Dr. Bernard who gave Kramer the title, "Art Therapist
." It was here that Kramer worked with disturbed boys, ages 8 through 13, for the following seven years. Though the fore mothers of Art Therapy
, Edith Kramer and Margret Naumburg, had a similar goal of combining art and psychology
, their beliefs took a different path where Kramer began to declare that it was art as therapy
, and Naumburg instead promoted art in therapy
.
Kramer's life work was spent with children and adolescents that were often unable to explain their feelings through the use of words. In 1958 Kramer published Art Therapy in a Children's Community. Kramer also worked at Jacobi Hospital
in their child psychiatric ward for 13 years. In 1971 Kramer published Art as Therapy with Children. Kramer wrote in her books of her experiences with her clients
. Kramer worked for 14 years at the Jewish Guild for the Blind. In 1976 Kramer, with the help of Dr. Laurie Wilson, set out to start a program in Art Therapy
at New York University
. While at NYU, Kramer came up with an important method of the program and called it, “the Art Therapist third hand intervention.” This concept called for the versatility
of the Art Therapist, so as to be more easily able to facilitate the client's artistic endeavors. An example of this may be the therapist mixing the paint for the client so as to achieve a desired color or tone. It is important to note that Kramer believed that product was as important as process in Art Therapy. She felt denying the client the gratification of the end product was robbing them. Kramer believed that Art Therapy
should fall more in the humanities
area than psychology. Now in her 90's, Kramer has returned to her home in Austria
, and continues to give her attention to her life long love, art.
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
, a follower of psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalytic theory refers to the definition and dynamics of personality development which underlie and guide psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. First laid out by Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic theory has undergone many refinements since his work...
and a fore-mother of art therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
.
Life and work
Edith Kramer was born in Vienna, Austria in 1916. At age 13 Kramer began art lessons with Friedl DickerFriedl Dicker-Brandeis
Frederika "Friedl" Dicker-Brandeis , was an Austrian artist murdered by the Nazi's in their extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau....
. Dicker
Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
Frederika "Friedl" Dicker-Brandeis , was an Austrian artist murdered by the Nazi's in their extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau....
was associated with the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
in Weimer Germany, and was an artist and art teacher of note. Kramer was influenced by the method for teaching art developed by Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
artist Joseph Itten
Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus school...
. It was in 1934 after Kramer graduated from Realgymnasium that she, then 18, followed Dicker to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to continue to study under her.It was during this time in Prague that Kramer worked with Dicker in helping children who's parents where political refugees.
By 1938, as a young adult Kramer fled Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, specifically New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. There she worked for three years teaching sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
at the prestigious Little Red School House
Little Red School House
The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, also referred to as LREI, was founded by Elisabeth Irwin in 1921 in Manhattan, New York City as the Little Red School House, and is regarded as the city's first progressive school...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Kramer worked at a machine shop in the Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She stayed after her shift to draw the other workers in their industrial setting. Artworks like these are known as social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
paintings. In 1947 Kramer visited some of the earliest artworks known to man, the caves at Lascaux
Lascaux
Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be...
. Kramer spoke of these cave paintings as an example of the universal language of art.
At the age of 33 she again returned to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with hopes of making a living as an artist. Raised in a family who was interested in psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalytic theory refers to the definition and dynamics of personality development which underlie and guide psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. First laid out by Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic theory has undergone many refinements since his work...
, Kramer herself became a follower of Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
. Kramer especially believed in the concept of sublimation
Sublimation
Sublimation may refer to:* Sublimation , the change from solid to gas without entering liquid phase* Sublimation , the transformation of emotions* Sublimation , a music album by Canvas Solaris-See also:...
. Freudian theory describes sublimation
Sublimation
Sublimation may refer to:* Sublimation , the change from solid to gas without entering liquid phase* Sublimation , the transformation of emotions* Sublimation , a music album by Canvas Solaris-See also:...
as a process in which primitive urges coming from the Id
ID
ID, I.D. or id may refer to:* The id, ego, and super-ego comprise the psychic apparatus defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche- Abbreviations :...
are transformed into socially productive activities that lead to gratification
Gratification
Gratification is the pleasurable emotional reaction of happiness in response to a fulfillment of a desire or goal.Gratification, like all emotions, is a motivator of behavior and thus plays a role in the entire range of human social systems....
of the original urge. Edith Kramer's training was in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, art education
Art education
Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...
, and psychoanalytically
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
informed psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
. Still in her 33rd year, Kramer was offered a job at Wiltwycks School for Boys. This job was arranged for her by Psychoanalyst, Dr. Viola Bernard. In fact, it was Dr. Bernard who gave Kramer the title, "Art Therapist
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
." It was here that Kramer worked with disturbed boys, ages 8 through 13, for the following seven years. Though the fore mothers of Art Therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
, Edith Kramer and Margret Naumburg, had a similar goal of combining art and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, their beliefs took a different path where Kramer began to declare that it was art as therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
, and Naumburg instead promoted art in therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
.
Kramer's life work was spent with children and adolescents that were often unable to explain their feelings through the use of words. In 1958 Kramer published Art Therapy in a Children's Community. Kramer also worked at Jacobi Hospital
Jacobi Medical Center
Jacobi Medical Center is a municipal hospital, under the direction of New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, in Morris Park, Bronx, New York located at 1400 Pelham Parkway South; it is the largest Public Hospital in the Bronx with 470+ beds....
in their child psychiatric ward for 13 years. In 1971 Kramer published Art as Therapy with Children. Kramer wrote in her books of her experiences with her clients
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
. Kramer worked for 14 years at the Jewish Guild for the Blind. In 1976 Kramer, with the help of Dr. Laurie Wilson, set out to start a program in Art Therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. While at NYU, Kramer came up with an important method of the program and called it, “the Art Therapist third hand intervention.” This concept called for the versatility
Versatility
Versatility is the eleventh album by The Jets. This album features nine siblings of the Wolfgramm family, with LeRoy being the only remaining original member of The Jets...
of the Art Therapist, so as to be more easily able to facilitate the client's artistic endeavors. An example of this may be the therapist mixing the paint for the client so as to achieve a desired color or tone. It is important to note that Kramer believed that product was as important as process in Art Therapy. She felt denying the client the gratification of the end product was robbing them. Kramer believed that Art Therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
should fall more in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
area than psychology. Now in her 90's, Kramer has returned to her home in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and continues to give her attention to her life long love, art.