Stereotype of the Tortured Artist
“Madness, provided
it comes as the gift of heaven, is
the channel by which we receive
the greatest blessings… Madness
comes from God, whereas sober
sense is merely human.” -Plato
In class we have previously brought up the link between mental illness and artists. It has been pointed out that depression and many other mental illnesses are more common in artists than in the rest of population. Are artists more prone to mental illness due to their lifestyle choices, or is the mental instability the reason why they can produce great art?
Apparently, no one can actually tell for sure. There are multiple theories that are being worked on/considered currently.
Some scientists have investigated the biological connection between mental illness and creativity, first showing that there is indeed a much greater chance of artists suffering from almost every kind of mental illness. They had shown that creativity occurs in the frontal lobe, and that the brain activity is very similar to that of a depressed, manic, or schizophrenic patients. Creative, unusual ideas come from unusual activity in the frontal lobe. They had also shown that there is a genetic connection between creativity and mental illness- first relatives of artists are also more likely to be creative and have a mental illness. (Sussman)
Not everyone is convinced by this research as it is still not definite. Some think that the toxic materials with which artists work can effect the artists mind. Others think that people who have difficulty expressing themselves in normal ways are drawn to art (art therapy relies on that concept). Some believe that the correlation is actually reversed- the notion that the artists are crazy affects said artists, who believe that their suffering is integral to their art and would even refuse to get help for that reason. (Stranger)
Another possible correlation could be that life of an artist is hard. We saw from Patti Smiths book, and from the culture-wide notion of the “starving artist” that being an artist is difficult both from the financial standpoint and because your work is always being judged and evaluated.
Stanford Journal of Neuroscience-Mental Illness and Creativity- A Neurological View of the Tortured Artist- Addrienne Sussman
http://www.stanford.edu/group/co-sign/Sussman.pdf
Artists and Mental Health- Illana Stranger
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