Sunday, November 20, 2005

art brut

no, not the band, silly. the genre - outsider art. i didn't really know what it was until i somewhat accidently visited the collection de l’art brut in lausanne. i was blown away. the museum was filled with the art - both awesome and horrifying - of the feeble-minded, the psychotic, and the criminally insane. actually, those categories are rather narrow. the art of people who are not "artists" - they don't create for an audience, but simply because it's the only way they can handle the chaos inside of them. the museum was haunting, but i what struck me most was the attic room - assembled to recreate the reclusive apartment of henry darger.


anyway, the point of this post is to recommend in the realms of the unreal, a documentary about the man himself. i would try to explain, but, like my visit in lausanne, it's an experience best left unexpected.

just trust me on this one.

4 comments:

hiroshi ryan said...

Outsider art is something I've never been total able to understand. Then again, I really don't "get" most modern art. Too much theory for me. Give me some that will set the good old iconolasts runnning and I'll understand that.

vyc said...

reminds me also of outside music. . . one of the most emblematic characters being Wesley Willis (RIP).

hiroshi ryan said...

I love Wesley Willis! He headbutted my friend once. It was awesome.

Anonymous said...

I hate it when I'm in Lausanne and walk into unexpected places. Just hate it...