Jurate Macnoriute Stylistic Characteristics of Art of Mentally Ill Patients and Mentally Healthy People For research of stylistic characteristics of groups of people suffering concrete troubles I have analyzed such resources of reproductions: Alcoholism (Modigliani, Pollack, A.Savickas). The drug habit (Brett Whiteley, Howard Arkley, Jean-Michel Basquiat). Alzheimer (Heather Hill, other Internet resources). Autism (Richard Wawro, other from Internet resources). Bipolar or manic-depression (Internet resources). Mentally retarded (tested ones and other Internet resources). Paranoia (S.Dali, other Internet resources). Schizophrenia (tested ones, E.Munch, Louis Wain, other Internet resources). 274 Samples of art of unspecified mental patients from Internet resources and photographed by me in the psychiatric hospital in Švėkšna (Shvekshna), Lithuania. Mentally healthy untrained people (6 tested ones and my early artworks). Artworks of free from mental disorder artists (Michelangelo, Ribera, Rembrandt, Rubens, Ingres, Poussin, Cezanne, my later artworks). Homosexuality (Internet resources). Criminals (Internet resources). Children (Internet resources). After analytic revision I have done such conclusions: It is not defined that lines' length, toughness, character of angles between them are mainly influenced by mental illnesses. But Louis Wain's case shows that in period of intensification of schizophrenia patients' lines became more short, arrangement of whole symmetric. Lines become arched and disorderly together with intensification of schizophrenia and manic-depression (V. van Gogh's case). Criminals lines' units often are clearly distinguished by their tapering. It is defined that linear way of thinking is more characteristic for mental patients, masses only clear noticeable in Alzheimer's holders artworks. For mentally healthy people masses play greater role than lines even if their drawing has no shades. Colors play main role for drug addicts, mentally retarded, bipolar, Alzheimer's holders; drawing more liked for people with autism and paranoia. Textures are liked by some autism holders, even in their abstract painting. In essence textures helping to show things' reality are characteristic for healthy artists and not characteristic for mentally ill. Bright colors are more characteristic for some paranoiacs and with mania. For mentally ill contrasted colors are more appreciated, nuanced colors are most liked by paranoiacs and some drug addicts. Symmetry is frequently liked by paranoiacs, also by schizophrenics in period of intensification of illness (Louis Wain's case). Arrangements of mentally ill ones create themselves impression of open space, as if their picture continues outside the frames. Fragmentation is related with openness and it is also high characteristic for mentally ill ones. The whole is typical for healthy artists, their space oftener is closed. Also openness is related with absence of tectonics. Pictures' space of Alzheimer holders and mentally retarded especially are not deep. Dynamics is characteristic for the majority of bipolar, schizophrenics and criminals; static for Alzheimer and autism's holders. Discord, disarray are nearer to all mentally ill ones; the whole, balance and harmony for healthy. Instability is main feature of all mentally ill ones. Great part of mentally ill ones do not appreciate large empty parts. Yayoi Kusama fills every blank surface by black points, when in Japan emptiness is high liked by tradition. Spectator's glance looking at mental patients artworks goes straight upwards with excepting Alzheimer. Looking at mentally healthy people's art such effect is absent. Artworks of patients with Alzheimer and mentally retarded seem simple; other mental patients appreciate intricacy, preciosity. For healthy great artists density is characteristic, not intricacy. Art of majority of mental patients is concrete. Mentally ill artists often aesthetically depict their suffering and psychological situation. "In my art I have tried to explain to myself life and its meaning I have also tried to help others to clarify their lives." (E. Munch). Only people with Alzheimer's disease can be named the progenitors of abstract art. Awful sights, cold, pain, horror are typical subjects of mentally ill artists. E. Munch describes such state in this way: "And I would often wake up at night and stare widely into the room: Am I in Hell?". Euphoric mood is most characteristic for children art. Unnatural uplifted mood is significant in artworks of bipolar and of patients with delusion of grandeur or megalomania (for "lords" of natural forces) more optimistic sights are inherent -- sun and moon's faces humbly smile for them. But their euphoria is cranky and trying. Grotesque is characteristic for homosexuals, mentally retarded, schizophrenics, paranoiacs. Obscenity is often distinctive to schizophrenics, homosexuals, alcoholics, drug addicts, mentally retarded, paranoiacs. Nostalgic mood often transpierces pictures of people with Alzheimer, autism and schizophrenia. Silence is audible in art of Alzheimer, autism's holders; noise in bipolar ones, Precision is characteristic for some paranoiacs (S. Dali), imprecision for schizophrenics, mentally retarded, with Alzheimer, bipolar. Imbecility is proper to drug addicts, mentally retarded, paranoiacs, schizophrenics, partly for manic-depressed, and probably for bipolar. Drawings of the largest part of mentally ill people who have no special art education are childlike. Self-control is not an attribution of mentally ill artists. For instance, E. Munch wrote: "Illness, insanity and death were the black angels who watched over my cradle and who followed me throughout my life." If they watched over him and followed, that means they influenced his work and controlled it. In artworks of schizophrenics are aplenty of written characters, dozen symbols and disorderly strewn things, deformed faces and figures. Grotesque, obscenity, fragmentation, miraculous colors, colorific of utterances, depiction of their own psychological situations are specific features of psychopaths. As we can notice art of paranoiacs distinguish itself among other mentally ill groups. Sometimes deepness of space (S. Dali), sometimes precision (S. Dali), some figures not deformed, some deformed (S. Dali), sometimes absence of enlarged sensitivity and dramatization, objectivity in details and its absence in the whole. Paranoiac art has other troubles' features, like disgust, openness confronting with emphasis on central part, direction upwards, imbecility, strangeness, unaccountable fantasy, absence of expedience, intricacy, etc. Demonstrating great imbecility paranoiacs often create translucent mazy images like stacked from different transparent photographs or layers added one onto other (S.Dali). That is why technique of collage is liked by them. Stylistic particularities of alcoholics, drug addicts and homosexuals are not clear expressed. One of reasons can be samples' insufficiency in quantity and in quality. It is not a secret that the multitude of artists are alcoholics, drinkers or at least social drinkers. For example, Modigliani died of alcohol poisoning, but was he an alcoholic or not, there is no saying, because sometimes also children dies of alcohol poisoning. It would be more properly to analyze artworks made by alcoholics in state of delirium tremens or something simple. Against the odds I may state that alcoholics' art often is imbecile, obscene, with elements of fantasy and domination of colors, not drawing, their figures are deformed. C. Lombroso noticed that alcoholics often use only one color for painting of picture: white, red, especially they like yellow. For drug addicts fragmentation, preciosity, forming of look of viewer upward are characteristic. These features show inclusion of drug addicts to mentally ill people category fitting. By frequent obscenity, liking to depict sexual organs and psychological situations, also for forming of look of viewer and weight upward homosexuals are close to schizophrenics. Specific features of criminals' art: brutality, lines long hard sharp like knifes, contrasted values, openness of space, deepness of space like of paranoiacs, centrifugal dynamics like explosion (when mentally ill artists rise glance upwards, mentally healthy to center), horror, anti humanity, disharmony, fragmentation, crowding, intricacy, decorative parts and shading from accidental soils like spatters or dirty water's residue. A lot of features of criminals are corporate with paranoiacs and schizophrenics, manic, alcoholics, drug addicts. Criminals' artistic attitude is close to Mannerism, art of some male homosexuals, funk art, horror films. Euphoric mood, light weight, slight uprising, openness, simplicity, flatness are characteristic for children art. Childish attitude is nearest to archaic periods of art style's developments. These features can be compared with features of arts in periods of the beginning of a style: with archaic-style in ancient Greece, quattrocento in Italian Renaissance. Art characteristics of mentally healthy artists are typical for classical periods of art styles development: Classical Greek period, High Renaissance. Overall art of mentally ill and criminals is similar to arts of ends of art styles: to Hellenistic period in Ancient Greece, to Mannerism in Italian Renaissance. Comparison of art features in the table:

 

All articles

Introduction to Art of Mentally Ill and Healthy People

Mental Illnesses. Short Review

Art Testing for Mentally Ill and Mentally Healthy People

Stylistic Characteristics of Art of Mentally Ill Patients and Mentally Healthy People

Anti-weight of Depicted Objects as One From Two Supreme Criterions Diagnosing Mental Illness

The Drawing Test for Individuals Suffering Mental Illness

The Drawing Test for People not Diagnosed With Mental Illness

Stylistic Differences of Mentally Ill and Far East Artists. Character of Openness as One From Two Supreme Criterions Diagnosing Mental Illness

Diagnostic Example. Self Analysis

Stylistic Closeness Between Mentally Ill and Gothic Arts

Stylistic Characteristics of Criminals Art

Art Styles, Directions, Movements and Mental Illnesses

Presence of Time in Painting of Mentally Ill and Mentally Healthy Artists

Conclusive Result of Research on Art of Mentally Ill and Healthy Artists

Copyright © 2004, Jūratė Macnoriūtė

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