Jurate Macnoriute
Spirituality in Art of the Mentally IllIn my earlier research into art of the mentally ill I have established that spiritualization is one among other typical features of insane artists (Conclusive Result of Research on Art of Mentally Ill and Healthy Artists). Let us specify it in the context of inquire for spirituality in art.
I established earlier too that other features of art of the mentally ill are linearity, absence of tectonics, openness together with emphasis on main figure, absence of unity of opposites, intricacy, absence of euphoria, horror, directed upward, weightless or anti-weight, discord, disharmony, deformation, absence of naturalness, absence of stability, absence of self-control, modernism, strangeness, domination of the golden section, absence of compositional schemes, indulgence in affliction. Additional features typical for separated mental illnesses, but not necessary for any mental illness, are such: contrasted values, intense colors, dark colors, contrasted colors, space not deep, absence of perspective, crowding, fragmentation, unaccountable fantasy, symbolism, written characters, nostalgia, misbalance, main details in periphery of picture, childlike, imbecility, ornaments, obscenity, absence of expedience, work process piece by piece, abstraction, domination of one color, absence of verisimilitude of textures, disgust, depiction of own psychological situation.
Let us find place of every feature from enumerated above in scale of spirituality: 1. The supernatural, ghost; 2. Beauty; 3. Feelings; 4. Presence of meaning or purport of communication.
Unaccountable fantasy, strangeness, symbolism, nostalgia can be attributed to the first level as helpers to depict the supernatural or ghost. Directed upward and weightless or anti-weight can mean participation of the supernatural and elevation of feelings. Openness together with emphasis on main figure or main nave is feature also developed and customized in gothic Cathedrals architecture. This feature with it strangeness can be partly attributed to the first level (ghost).
Crowding, fragmentation, misbalance, main details in periphery of picture, childlike, imbecility, obscenity, disgust, absence of expedience, absence of perspective, absence of verisimilitude of textures, work process piece by piece, domination of one color, absence of tectonics, absence of unity of opposites, intricacy, absence of euphoria, discord, disharmony, deformation, absence of naturalness, absence of stability, absence of self-control mean lack of beauty. Linearity shows absence of properly expressed the third dimension. Also it can show defects of seeing and perception and bad painting technique. It is not auspicious for the second level -- formal beauty. Domination of the golden ratio would be expression of beauty, but together with negative features the golden ratio loses its effectiveness in formation of beauty.
In some cases horror can be expression of ghost, thus it partly suits to the first level, also to the third -- feelings. Absence of compositional schemes means possibility of being of vitality and together feelings. Depiction of own psychological situation, indulgence in affliction correspond to the third level too.
We did not touch yet the fourth sense -- presence of meaning or purport of communication. Some enumerated above features like depiction of own psychological situation and nostalgia may be related with this level. Mentally ill persons' art is a form of their communication with their therapists and with themselves.
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In summary we can state that the mentally ill have high expressed the first level of senses of spirituality, that is the supernatural and ghost, underlining namely ghost. Horror, strangeness, symbolism, nostalgia are ghostly, you agree with me.
The second feature of art of the mentally ill is absence of beauty in formal level.
The third level of spirituality (feelings) is strongly developed. Horror, depiction of own psychological situation are main subjects of art of the mentally ill.
Purport of communication of the mentally ill is their themselves therapy.
All articles on theme spirituality of art
- Halo in European Art. Recognition of Picture Figures. Semantic Level of Art Analysis
Proportions of the Golden Ratio and Whole Numbers Determining Character of Spirituality in Art
- The Closing Section of Research Into Spirituality Of Art
Copyright © Jurate Macnoriute