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Mar 11, 2021 19 tweets 8 min read Read on X
People who have no voice can have a creative spark, born of suffering or solitude. Mostly it's hidden, but in the 20th century it began to be admired, celebrated, and even perhaps exploited.

For our #ThursdayMotivation today let's look at the world of 'Outsider Art'... Image
Outsider Art, Art Brut, Visionary Art, Naïve Art: nobody has really settled on a name for artworks made by non-traditional artists which express a raw, energetic experience of the world. It's art often hidden in the margins, calling to be heard. Image
Outsider Art began to be recognised in 1911 by Der Blaue Reiter group of artists in Munich. The group was short-lived but influential: it was fundamental to Expressionism and admiring of the art of those who lived with mental health issues. Image
Interest in Outsider Art grew further when Dr. Walter Morgenthaler published "Ein Geisteskranker als Künstler" in 1921, a book about the intricate artworks of his psychiatric patient Adolf Wölfli. Image
In 1948 Jean Dubuffet, Andre Breton and others formed the "Compagnie de l’Art Brut" to find and publicise the 'rough art' that Der Blaue Reiter group had celebrated. Over the years they built a vast collection. Image
Art Brut celebrated works by untrained, intuitive artists, many who were troubled outsiders with no connection to the art world. Artists like Foma Jaremtschuk, who lived with schizophrenia and created unique pictures drawn from inner experiences. Image
In 1972 Roger Cardinal coined the phrase "Outsider Art" as an English translation of Art Brut. Today I'll share some works by Outsider artists who have come to public prominent, sometimes only after they have passed away and their life's work has been discovered. Image
Kiyoshi Yamashita was an itinerant Japanese Outsider artists of the 1950s who worked mainly in collage and paints. His wanderings and travels influenced his choice of subject and in 1956 his unique work was exhibited across Japan. Image
Georgiana Houghton was a noted Victorian medium and Outsider artist. Her 'spirit drawings' began in 1858 at her séances and she later exhibited her work in London in 1871. Image
The Philadelphia Wireman is an unknown Outsider artist who created over 1000 wire-frame sculptures that were found abandoned on a Philadelphia street in 1982 outside a homeless shelter. Nothing further is known about the artist. Image
Susan Te Kahurangi King is a New Zealand Outsider artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide. She has not spoken since the age of eight, and has chosen instead to express herself through her artworks. Image
Henry Darger is possibly the most widely known Outsider artist. His 15,000 page manuscript "The Story of the Vivian Girls in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion" was discovered after his death in 1973. Image
Norbert Kox was formally an American biker and gang member. Following 10 years of religious-inspired isolation he developed a unique apocalyptic artistic vision, using skills developed whilst painting and customising motorbikes. Image
The Prophet Royal Robertson was a reclusive American Outsider artist, whose style echoed the themes of comic books. Robertson lived with paranoid schizophrenia for most of his life and his artworks reflect his sense of being a prophet and visionary. Image
Ataa Oko was a Ghanaian artist who specialised in figurative palanquin design and fantasy coffin building, before developing as an Art Brut painter in his 80s. Ghanaian coffin art is a modern tradition and was greatly developed by fellow Ghanaian artist Paa Joe. ImageImage
We should bear in mind that some Outsider artists were deeply troubled and had not expressed any desire for their private work to be shown more widely. Posthumously discovering and exhibiting Outsider Art treads a fine line between curation and voyeurism. Image
Raw Vision is a magazine dedicated to Outsider Art. Do check out their website for more examples from other artists: rawvision.com Image
Let's leave this brief review of Outsider art with the work of contemporary Visionary artist Mina Mond (minamondart.tumblr.com). Creativity is a gift we can all develop, share and appreciate. Hopefully that's what life is for.

More stories another time... Image
(Apologies: this thread broke in the middle. Hopefully that's fixed now. Here's a piece by Felipe Jesus Consalvos, a Cuban cigar roller whose Outsider artworks were only discovered after he passed away in 1960. His collage work, involving cigar bands mixed with objets trouvés) Image

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More from @PulpLibrarian

Sep 1
Today in pulp, one of the most influential and outrageous illustrators of the Italian Italian fumetti scene: Emanuele Taglietti!

This will be interesting... Image
Emanuele Taglietti was born in Ferrara in 1943. His father worked as a set designer for director Michaelangelo Antonioni, often taking Emanuele with him on set. Image
In the 1960s Taglietti moved to Rome, where he studied stage design. He began a successful career as an assistant art director, working for Federico Fellini and Marco Ferreri. Image
Read 17 tweets
Aug 25
"He lay beside the gently whispering stream - murdered!"

Scales Of Justice, by Ngaio Marsh. Fontana, 1958. Image
"Sucked to death in a seething cauldron of mud!"

Colour Scheme, by Ngaio Marsh. Fontana, 1960. Image
Death amongst the darts and drinks...

Death At The Bar, by Ngaio Marsh. Fontana, 1956. Image
Read 10 tweets
Aug 18
Today in pulp... a few covers by Reginald Heade. Image
Vice Rackets Of Soho, by Roland Vane. Archer Books, 1951. Cover by Reginald Heade. Image
Sinful Sisters, by Ronald Vane. Archer Books, 1951. Cover by Reginald Heade. Image
Read 16 tweets
Aug 16
Time once again for my occasional series "Women with great hair fleeing gothic houses!"

No, I hadn't forgotten... Image
Terror On Duncan Island, by Caroline Farr. Signet Gothic, 1971. Cover by Allan Kass.

Note: this is a sea-circled island. None of your oxbow lake nonsense here... Image
The Fortune Hunters, by Joan Aiken. Pocket Books, 1972.

When fleeing a gothic castle be sure to colour co-ordinate! Image
Read 18 tweets
Aug 13
If the spacesuit is the symbol of progress, the gas mask is the sign of the apocalypse. In popular culture it signifies that science has turned against us. It's the face of dystopia.

Today in pulp I look at the culture of the mask!
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The first chemical masks were work by Venitian plague doctors: a bird-like affair, the beak stuffed with lavender, matched with full length coat and hat. It was a terrifying sight - the grim reaper come to apply poultices to your tumours. Image
But it was poison gas, first used at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, that led to the modern gas mask. At first these were cotton masks treated with chemicals. However their protection was limited. Image
Read 19 tweets
Aug 10
It's now over half a century since 1970, and I'm starting to wonder if we should bring back its concept of gracious modern living... Image
You see we've grown so used to Swedish-style modernism that we've sort of forgotten that maximalism, rather than minimalism, was once the sign of a cultured abode. Image
The 1970s in many ways reached back to the rich ideas of Victorian decor: heavy, autumnal and cluttered. Home was meant to be a baroque and sensual experience, rather than a 'machine for living in.' Image
Read 10 tweets

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