Editing Outsider art (section)

== Art of the mentally ill ==
{{See also|Creativity and mental illness}}
Interest in the art of the mentally ill, along with [[Children's art|that of children]] and the makers of "[[Folk art|peasant art]]", developed from the end of the 19th century onward, both by psychiatrists such as [[Cesare Lombroso]], [[Auguste Marie]] or Marcel Réjà, and by artists, such as members of "[[Der Blaue Reiter]]" group: [[Wassily Kandinsky]], [[August Macke]], [[Franz Marc]], [[Alexej von Jawlensky]], and others. 

What the artists perceived in the work of these groups was an expressive power born of their perceived lack of sophistication. Examples of this were reproduced in 1912 in the first and only issue of their publication, ''Der Blaue Reiter Almanac''. During [[World War I]], Macke was killed at [[First Battle of Champagne|Champagne]] in 1914 and Marc was killed at [[Battle of Verdun|Verdun]] in 1916; the gap left by these deaths was to some extent filled by [[Paul Klee]], who continued to draw inspiration from these 'primitives'.

Interest in the art of [[Psychiatric hospital|insane asylum]] inmates continued to grow in the 1920s. In 1921, Dr. [[Walter Morgenthaler]] published his book ''Ein Geisteskranker als Künstler'' (''A Psychiatric Patient as Artist'') about [[Adolf Wölfli]], a [[psychotic]] mental patient in his care. Wölfli had spontaneously taken up drawing, and this activity seemed to calm him. His most outstanding work was an illustrated epic of 45 volumes in which he narrated his own imaginary life story. With 25,000 pages, 1,600 illustrations, and 1,500 collages, it is a monumental work. Wölfli also produced a large number of smaller works, some of which were sold or given as gifts. His work is on display at the [[Adolf Wölfli Foundation]] in the [[Museum of Fine Arts Bern|Museum of Fine Art]], [[Bern]].

A defining moment was the publication of ''Bildnerei der Geisteskranken'' (''[[Artistry of the Mentally Ill]]'') in 1922, by [[Hans Prinzhorn]]. This was the first formal study of psychiatric works, based upon a compilation of thousands of examples from European institutions. The book and the art collection gained much attention from avant-garde artists of the time, including Paul Klee, [[Max Ernst]], and [[Jean Dubuffet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rawvision.com/what-outsider-art |title="Outsider Art Sourcebook" (Raw Vision, Watford, 2009, p.4) |access-date=2013-01-22 |archive-date=2014-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627195045/http://www.rawvision.com/what-outsider-art |url-status=dead }}</ref>

People with some formal artistic training as well as well-established artists are not immune from mental illness, and may also be institutionalized. For example, [[William Kurelek]], later awarded the [[Order of Canada]] for his artistic life work, as a young man was admitted to the [[Maudsley Hospital|Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital]] where he was treated for [[schizophrenia]].<ref>[http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/psych431_nbb421/student2003/epl8/ Cornell case study: Early Onset Schizophrenia – William Kurelek]</ref> In the hospital he painted, producing [[The Maze (painting)|''The Maze'']], a dark depiction of his [[tortured artist|tortured youth]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210641/http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/179/5/0.pdf "Psychiatry in Pictures"], ''[[British Journal of Psychiatry]]'' (2001)</ref> He was transferred from the Maudsley to [[Netherne Hospital]] from November 1953 to January 1955, to work with [[Edward Adamson]] (1911–1996), a pioneer of [[art therapy]], and creator of the Adamson Collection.