Creativity and Madness
There is a thin but definite line between the individual attributes of creativity and madness. French novelist, Marcel Proust, once said, "Everything great in the world is created by neurotics. They have composed our masterpieces, but we don't consider what they have cost their creators in sleepless nights, and worst of all, fear of death." The creative mind and the mind of a mad person have similar aspects including a high tolerance for irrationality. Creativity, as defined by Plato, is a "divine madness".
Paintings by Louis Wain
Wain spent the last 15 years of his life in psychiatric institutions. These paintings show the progress and intensity of his mental illness. Each painting was composed in a different stage of the psychiatric period in his life.
Written By: Caitlin Gouge
Designed By: Caitlin Gouge and Kari Luneke