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Artistry of the Mentally Ill: A Contribution to the Psychology and Psychopathology of Configuration
No one is more conscious of the faults of this work than the author. Therefore some self -criticism should be woven into this foreward. There are two possible methodologically pure solutions to this book's theme: a de scriptive catalog of the pictures couched in the language of natural science and accom panied by a clinical and psychopathological description of the patients, or a completely metaphysically based investigation of the process of pictorial composition. According to the latter, these unusual works, explained psychologically, and the exceptional circum stances on which they are based would be integrated as a playful variation of human expression into a total picture of the ego under the concept of an inborn creative urge, behind which we would then only have to discover a universal need for expression as an instinctive foundation. In brief, such an investigation would remain in the realm of phenomenologically observed existential forms, completely independent of psychiatry and aesthetics. The compromise between these two pure solutions must necessarily be piecework and must constantly defend itself against the dangers of fragmentation. We are in danger of being satisfied with pure description, the novelistic expansion of details and questions of principle; pitfalls would be very easy to avoid if we had the use of a clearly outlined method. But the problems of a new, or at least never seriously worked, field defy the methodology of every established subject."
274 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1922
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 26, 2007
This is the earliest of the bks on this subject that I know of (but not the 1st I read). It's worth it for the material on Heinrich Welz alone! In a world supersaturated w/ the work of businessmen like Andy Warhol, it's fantastic to be able to have access to images & ideas from people whose marginality wd ordinarily push them to the garbage-heap-of-humanity-a-go-go.
April 21, 2012
Absolutely essential work for any artist. Chances are if you are looking for this book you already know about it, if you find a copy, then it was meant for you.
January 23, 2022
After reading The Gallery of Miracles and Madness, I wanted to read the source material, Hans Prinzhorn's remarkable study of art produced by asylum inmates. Originally published in 1922, the book provides not only impressive samples of schizophrenic art but also glimpses of the diverse life stories of people in Wilhelmine Germany, at a time when the country, like most of the world, was moving from rural- to urban-centered existence, the move perhaps a factor in the disintegration of personalities. The art itself is diverse but always provocative and a few of the pictures could hang in major galleries without apology. Easy to see why Dada and the Surrealists embraced this book as an inspiration. Prinzhorn himself notes the resemblance of some of the paintings to der Blaue Reiter group and the works of Alfred Kubin, among others.
Of course, the book raises questions without answers about the role of functional schizophrenia in inspiration, questions that become more interesting in a world where we have common drugs that can simulate aspects of the disorder. It also points to individual fixations -- largely religious in the artists Prinzhorn studied -- as a major clue to the roots of art. Other paths lead to the art of children and "primitives." Generally this is a book of wonders, a curiosity cabinet from the 20s that is still simulating as well as being a major piece of 20th Century history.
Of course, the book raises questions without answers about the role of functional schizophrenia in inspiration, questions that become more interesting in a world where we have common drugs that can simulate aspects of the disorder. It also points to individual fixations -- largely religious in the artists Prinzhorn studied -- as a major clue to the roots of art. Other paths lead to the art of children and "primitives." Generally this is a book of wonders, a curiosity cabinet from the 20s that is still simulating as well as being a major piece of 20th Century history.
January 30, 2024
Interesante estudio sobre la percepción del mundo del enfermo mental y como influye en su impulso configurador, a través de una colección de obras significativa con algunas piezas de gran calidad artística.
Las conclusiones que se sacan en cuanto a su relación con las por entonces tendencias artísticas del momento (el libro fue escrito en Alemania en 1922, por tanto la corriente más "cercana" es el expresionismo), son realmente ilustrativas y ayudan a comprender mejor el surgimiento de la abstracción, aunque a este hecho se dediquen apenas 3 páginas que se apoyan en todo lo anterior.
Lectura recomendable tanto desde el punto de vista de la psicología (sin conceptos farragosos y por tanto aptos para un nivel amateur) como de la historia del arte.
Las conclusiones que se sacan en cuanto a su relación con las por entonces tendencias artísticas del momento (el libro fue escrito en Alemania en 1922, por tanto la corriente más "cercana" es el expresionismo), son realmente ilustrativas y ayudan a comprender mejor el surgimiento de la abstracción, aunque a este hecho se dediquen apenas 3 páginas que se apoyan en todo lo anterior.
Lectura recomendable tanto desde el punto de vista de la psicología (sin conceptos farragosos y por tanto aptos para un nivel amateur) como de la historia del arte.
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December 14, 2019This was one of the first books ever published on the art of people suffering from severe mental illness, and probably the first one to try to look systematically at this field of study. It's worth its weight in gold for the heart of the text, the biographical sketches and artist studies of the ten "schizophrenic masters," whose art remains compelling and haunting. (August Natterer remains my favorite, but they're all worth engaging with.)
The first and third parts of the book, dealing with the relationship between mental illness and creativity, and the origins and subtypes of the creative impulse, have been superseded, but are a fascinating look into the then-nascent field of modern psychology, as well as ethnography and art criticism. Prinzhorn had been trained in both art history and psychology, and his mastery of both fields shows.
I read the ending of the book with a deep sadness. Prinzhorn writes about how the art produced by these artists is as real and worthy of merit as any other art, and talks about his hopes for further studies of mental illness and creativity. I know, though Prinzhorn of course couldn't, that less than two decades later, the Nazis would sweep through the institutions that cared for these artists and people like them; some 300,000 mental patients in Germany and areas controlled by the Third Reich were murdered during the Aktion T4 program. Prinzhorn himself was dead by the time the war started, and his collection of asylum art only survived because it had been stored away in the attic at the University of Heidelberg.
As a side note, for an acknowledged classic in the field, Artistry of the Mentally Ill has had a really spotty publication history. The version I own is the 1995 reprint, and the quality of the images is noticeably bad -- online images of the same works are much, much clearer. For a long time, this was the most recent edition, but it's finally back in print as of this year (2019). I haven't seen the new edition yet, but I hope they've cleaned up the image quality issues.
The first and third parts of the book, dealing with the relationship between mental illness and creativity, and the origins and subtypes of the creative impulse, have been superseded, but are a fascinating look into the then-nascent field of modern psychology, as well as ethnography and art criticism. Prinzhorn had been trained in both art history and psychology, and his mastery of both fields shows.
I read the ending of the book with a deep sadness. Prinzhorn writes about how the art produced by these artists is as real and worthy of merit as any other art, and talks about his hopes for further studies of mental illness and creativity. I know, though Prinzhorn of course couldn't, that less than two decades later, the Nazis would sweep through the institutions that cared for these artists and people like them; some 300,000 mental patients in Germany and areas controlled by the Third Reich were murdered during the Aktion T4 program. Prinzhorn himself was dead by the time the war started, and his collection of asylum art only survived because it had been stored away in the attic at the University of Heidelberg.
As a side note, for an acknowledged classic in the field, Artistry of the Mentally Ill has had a really spotty publication history. The version I own is the 1995 reprint, and the quality of the images is noticeably bad -- online images of the same works are much, much clearer. For a long time, this was the most recent edition, but it's finally back in print as of this year (2019). I haven't seen the new edition yet, but I hope they've cleaned up the image quality issues.
February 4, 2024
Considerado el motor secreto tras las vanguardias, el ensayo del malogrado psiquiatra e historiador del arte Hans Prinzhorn sigue teniendo mucho que ofrecer.
Las concomitancias entre arte de esquizofrénicos sin formación previa (diagnóstico de la época) con el arte medieval, primitivo, infantil o mediumtico supone todavia hoy una lección magistral acerca del arte y su implicación antropológica. Es más, apunta a que se considere la íntima locura que albergamos los humanos como una "verdad" que supone reconocer que el arte es siempre el producto de estados alterados de conciencia.
Las obras reproducidas son sumamente interesantes y elocuentes por si mismas y los casos clínicos, aunque anticuados en su interpretación, poseen una carga transversal ahistórica innegable.
Las concomitancias entre arte de esquizofrénicos sin formación previa (diagnóstico de la época) con el arte medieval, primitivo, infantil o mediumtico supone todavia hoy una lección magistral acerca del arte y su implicación antropológica. Es más, apunta a que se considere la íntima locura que albergamos los humanos como una "verdad" que supone reconocer que el arte es siempre el producto de estados alterados de conciencia.
Las obras reproducidas son sumamente interesantes y elocuentes por si mismas y los casos clínicos, aunque anticuados en su interpretación, poseen una carga transversal ahistórica innegable.
January 15, 2022
A very dated, very fascinating look at mental illness and art. The majority of the book revolves around ten case studies of schizophrenic patients in asylums. Their biography and history of mental illness are explored in conjunction with their artistic works. Some really amazingly mind-bending art, especially considering almost all of it came from untrained artists. There's a lot of bizarre Freudian speculation by the author, but this only adds to the charm. I can tell how passionate he was in this topic, and how genuinely he wanted patients' artwork to be seen by more people.
If you are interested in outsider art, definitely check this out.
If you are interested in outsider art, definitely check this out.
February 21, 2024
This is the Bible for Outsider Art, the book that starts the deep dive into schizophrenic art that later is labeled Outsider, outside the art market and art education. It is dense and informative by a man who studied both art and medicine. It is useful to talk about art in general, not just art of the mentally ill. Written in 1922 but could have been written yesterday.
July 30, 2023
Soberbio, extraordinario
August 24, 2024
Libro fundacional del denominado art brut.
https://liblit.com/hans-prinzhorn-exp...
https://liblit.com/hans-prinzhorn-exp...
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December 8, 2025The book mentioned in this youtube video: The Disturbing Painting Made by a Schizophrenic Patient
May 10, 2025
Fascinating world of schizophrenia and paranoia inside European mental asylums in late 1800’s and early 1900’s by Hanz Prinzhorn.
I found out about this book in the notes of Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and have been intrigued by it ever since.
You can find stories of some vulnerable lives in here, as well as artwork that will haunt you. You will learn some fascinating vocabulary.
It is hard to read this study, and it took me more than a year to finish this book. What a rare find. I appreciate opening this world 🌎 World where art and mental illness are inevitably interconnected.
I found out about this book in the notes of Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and have been intrigued by it ever since.
You can find stories of some vulnerable lives in here, as well as artwork that will haunt you. You will learn some fascinating vocabulary.
It is hard to read this study, and it took me more than a year to finish this book. What a rare find. I appreciate opening this world 🌎 World where art and mental illness are inevitably interconnected.
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September 3, 20161922 study of 5,000 works by 450 patients in Heidelberg.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews