ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In 1945 the artist and art collector J. Dubuffet coined the term Art brut for original works by psychiatric inmates that had been created outside of traditions and art movements. In the following decades these works were at the center of negotiation processes in which not only psychiatrists but also exhibition organizers, gallery owners etc. increasingly became involved. OBJECTIVE: Based on the evaluation of four exemplary pairs of psychiatrists and artist patients (H. Müller-Suur-P. Goesch; M. in der Beeck-E. Spießbach; J. Porret-Forel-A. Corbaz; L. Navratil-R. Limberger), this study explores the field of tension between art and psychiatry after 1945. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The results of the subproject "Normal#Crazy Art. Works from a Psychiatric Context between Diagnostics and Aesthetics after 1945" of the German Research Foundation (DFG) research group "Normal#Crazy" (FOR 3031) are based on the evaluation of archival material, estates, interviews with contemporary witnesses and contemporary media. RESULTS: It is shown that different attitudes of the psychiatrists towards "their" artist patients strongly influenced their entry into the art world. In this context, impulses from beyond psychiatry were important in order to expand purely diagnostic views of the works with other approaches. DISCUSSION: The renewed interest in the individual creativity of patients after 1945 can be understood as a reaction to their dehumanization under fascism and National Socialism; however, the focus on the pathologized personality of artist patients could obscure alternative perspectives on their art, just as the disposal of their works by psychiatrists could hinder their dissemination.
Subject(s)
Art , Mental Disorders , Physicians , Psychiatry , Humans , Mental Disorders/psychology , CreativityABSTRACT
The authors investigated the artistic characteristics of autistic savant artists, hypotheses on the proximate and ultimate causes of their emergence, recent psychological and other studies about them, and psychological and neuroaesthetic studies about non-savant autistic individuals. The artistic features of autistic savant artists were significantly similar to those of outsider artists. Furthermore, the authors investigated the explanatory power of the paradoxical functional facilitation theory, the superior visual perception hypothesis, the "Hmmmmm" hypothesis, and the Neanderthal theory of autism regarding the emergence of autistic savant artists. In addition, we investigated whether an increase in savant characteristics was related to a decrease in the ability for social communication. The authors suggested that in studies on the aesthetic experience of non-savant autistic individuals, their aesthetic experience ability is never lower than that of neurotypical individuals and that some non-savant autistic individuals may potentially have artistic talent. Finally, the authors reviewed the effectiveness of the "autism savant spectrum syndromic disorder" proposed by some researchers. More scientific and systematic studies on autistic savant artists from a multidisciplinary perspective are warranted.
ABSTRACT
O artigo apresenta o conceito "Arte bruta" e acompanha suas principais articulações nos campos da arte e saúde mental até a década de 1960. Em uma análise crítica, explicita-se como este, apesar de incitar à valorização do material artístico produzido por pacientes psiquiátricos e outros artistas fora do circuito erudito, contribui para uma categorização segregacionista dos artistas ditos "loucos", ao adotar uma compreensão reducionista e idealizada da criação como expressão espontânea, acessível a tais sujeitos justamente por estarem "apartados da cultura". Mostra-se ainda que tal noção, apesar de utilizada ainda hoje, foi objeto de remodelamento e renomeação - como "outsider art", especialmente - entre 1960/1970, com a desnaturalização do isolamento dos ditos "doentes" trazida pela Reforma Psiquiátrica e o advento de mudanças significativas na concepção de arte e produção artística.
This paper presents the concept of "Raw Art," following its main articulations in the field of art and mental health until the 1960s. Through a critical analysis, the text shows how this concept, despite encouraging the appreciation of artistic materials produced by psychiatric patients and other naïve artists, contributes to a segregationist categorization of the so-called "mad" artists, by adopting a reductionist and idealized understanding of creation as a spontaneous expression, accessible to these subjects precisely because they are "outsiders." Such notion, although still used today, underwent remodeling and renaming-as "outsider art"-between 1960/70, following the denaturalization of isolation for the so-called "insane" brought by the Psychiatric Reform and the advent of significant changes in the conception of art and artistic production.
Cet article présente le concept d'"art brut", en suivant ses principales articulations dans les domaines de l'art et de la santé mentale jusqu'aux années 1960. Dans un abordage critique, le texte montre comment ce concept, bien qu'il mène à une valorisation du matériel artistique produit par des patients psychiatriques et d'autres artistes dits naïf, contribue à une catégorisation ségrégationniste des artistes dits «"fous", en adoptant une compréhension réductionniste et idéalisée de la création en tant qu'expression spontanée, accessible à ces sujets précisément parce qu'ils sont "en dehors de la culture". Cette notion, bien qu'encore utilisée aujourd'hui, a subi un remodelage et un changement de nom - en tant qu'"outsider art" - entre 1960/1970, suite à la dénaturalisation de l'isolement des soi-disant "fous" apportée par la réforme psychiatrique et à l'avènement de changements significatifs dans la conception de l'art et de la production artistique.
Este trabajo presenta el concepto de "Arte Bruto" y sigue sus principales articulaciones en los ámbitos del arte y la salud mental hasta la década de 1960. A través de un análisis crítico se muestra cómo este concepto, a pesar de incentivar la apreciación del material artístico producido por pacientes psiquiátricos y otros artistas fuera del ámbito erudito, contribuye a una categorización segregacionista de los llamados artistas "locos" al adoptar una comprensión reduccionista e idealizada de la creación como expresión espontánea, accesible a dichos sujetos precisamente por estar "apartados de la cultura". También se muestra que tal noción, aunque todavía se utiliza hoy, fue objeto de remodelación y renombramiento - como "outsider arte" especialmente - entre 1960/1970, con la desnaturalización del aislamiento de los llamados "locos" que trajo la Reforma Psiquiátrica y el advenimiento de cambios significativos en la concepción del arte y la producción artística.
Subject(s)
Art Therapy , Schizophrenia/therapy , Art , Creativity , Humans , Male , Mexico , Prisons , Schizophrenic PsychologySubject(s)
Mental Disorders/therapy , Psychotherapy , Social Stigma , Darkness , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/psychologySubject(s)
Art Therapy/methods , Art/history , Mental Disorders/therapy , Mentally Ill Persons/psychology , Paintings/history , Austria , Communication , Creativity , Disabled Persons , Female , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Humans , Mental Disorders/psychology , Paintings/psychologySubject(s)
Art Therapy , Art , Graphic Novels as Topic , Mental Disorders/therapy , Humans , Mental Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
Lately on these pages, a discussion is going on over the opportunity of the use of the definition 'outsider'. Especially in the USA, it is judged as demeaning, discriminating and inappropriate, whilst in Europe, it is used in a much more unconcerned way. Mr Gioni curator of numerous international exhibitions including Manifesta 5 (2004), the 4th Berlin Biennale (2006), the 8th Gwangju Biennale (2010) and the 55th Venice Biennale (2013) shares his perspective on contemporary culture and self-taught art.
