lsquo;Outsider artrsquo; is work produced outside the mainstream of modern art by self-taught visionaries; spiritualists; eccentrics; recluses; psychiatric patients; criminals and others beyond the perceived margins of society. Coined in 1972 the term is derived from lsquo;art brutrsquo;; which the artist Jean Dubuffet began promoting just after the Second World War. Both focus on the idea of a lsquo;rawrsquo;; untaught creativity; which is still a contentious and much-debated issue. Is this a natural phenomenon; requiring only the right circumstances (isolation or alienation) to be revealed; or is it more like a mirage projected by the very culture it is supposed to be escaping from?Behind the polemic and the commercial hype lies a cluster of assumptions about creative drives; the expression of inner worlds; radical originality and the artistrsquo;s social or psychological eccentricity. Although Outsider art is often presented as a recent discovery; these ideas belong to a tradition that goes back to the Renaissance; when the modern image of the artist began to take shape. If Outsiders are in some way lsquo;outsidersquo; the conventional art world; what happens to them; and to the works they create; when they are introduced to it? David Maclagan has been writing on Outsider art for over twenty-five years; and this book sets out to challenge many of the received ideas in the field.This book will be of interest to the growing number of people interested in the field of Outsider art; and all those studying concepts of artistic creativity and their cultural background.
#1105471 in eBooks 2012-06-14 2012-06-14File Name: B008TVM2TO
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Posada prints!By rick from BostonI was familiar with the skeleton drawings long before I had even heard of Posada and after a trip to Mexico City a number of years ago I had to learn more. In the DF we saw a museum dedicated to cartoons and many of them were Posadas. The Dover book is a good introduction to his graphics. There is a lot of political humor in his work and even if youre not too interested in what the graphics subject matter you can still appreciate his skill. His artwork is probably known all over the worls although his name may not be. Now I need to find a good biography of the man.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. More skeletons pleaseBy CipaczihuatlNice book with good prints selection. Not as many skeletons as I though :(0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great buy. Artwork great commentaryBy silly gooseI teach English language arts/ humanities through a cultural lens using art as a vehicle to understand historic social issues. This book was spot on to decipher the political times Posada lived. Great buy. Artwork great commentary.
