Medicine:Autistic art

From HandWiki

Autistic art is artworks created by artists who are on the autistic spectrum which captures or conveys a variety of autistic experiences. Art by autistic artists has long been shown in separate venues from artists without disabilities.[1] The art of autistic people has often been considered part of outsider art.[1] There might be relationships between autism and talent due to the sensory hypersensitivity and the tendency of autistic people to concentrate more deeply on details.[2] The works of some autistic artists have featured in art publications and documentaries and been exhibited in mainstream galleries. Now there are many autistic art programs and projects founded by nonprofit organizations, autistic artists or other institutions to help autistic people to express themselves and promote autistic art.[3]

Overview

Autistic people have various differences in brain regions involving emotional processing, social cognition, face recognition, and executive functioning.

They may be hyper- and hypo-sensitive to sensory stimuli, even to the extent that they can't participate in normal social activities. For example, an autistic person may not be able to attend a movie due to the crowded and noisy environment.[4] On the other hand, this kind of sensory hypersensitivity may make an autistic person much more perceptive than an ordinary person. The extreme attention to detail that is common in autistic people may result talent in mathematics, art or other fields.[5] Autistic persons who have talent in art are often outsiders in the art community. Unlike with common art, there is seldom any tradition or academic criteria in their creations. Each has their own style of art which, which may present the inner world of an autistic person.[6]

People

Stephen Wiltshire working in 2016
  • Stephen Wiltshire (b. 1974) -- typically depicts cityscapes in his work.[7] He is one of the most famous autistic artists and his art usually surrounds architectural features.
  • Donna Williams (1963–2017) -- focused on figurative works with an emphasis on movement.
  • Larry Bissonnette[8] (b. 1957)
  • Henriett Seth F.[9] (b. 1980) -- creates abstract, highly patterned works.
  • Gilles Tréhin (b. 1972) -- a self-taught artist who creates largely architectural drawings in pencil. Many of his sketches are of an imaginary world called Urville.[10]
  • George Widener[11] (b. 1962) -- creates detailed imaginary worlds that are displayed in Ricco Maresca Gallery in New York City .[12]
  • Richard Wawro (1952–2006)
  • Jonathan Lerman (b. 1987)
  • Govy (b. 1981)[13]
  • Susan Te Kahurangi King

Projects

Drawing Autism

Drawing Autism is a book collection of images and artwork created by people who are diagnosed with autism. This collection features creations of more than 50 autistic artists around the world and illustrates the potential for art of autistic persons as well as an insight into some of the characteristics of autism. The founder of the project is Jill Mullin, who is a board-certified behavior analyst. During her 15 years of experience working with autistic people, Mullin has found that many of them are talented in mathematics, science and art.[14]

The Art of Autism

The Art of Autism is a nonprofit organization which empowers autistic people and their families through the arts which includes visual arts, music, blogging, poetry, dance, and other art forms. They provide various opportunities for autistic artists to display their creations and share their personal stories as well as for merchandising the art works. In addition, they are dedicated to fostering the importance of art for autistic people and offering mentorship opportunities.[15]

See also

  • Autism rights movement
  • Autism: The Musical, a 2007 documentary about autistic children writing and appearing in their own play
  • Disability Flag
  • Life, Animated, a 2016 documentary featuring Disney fan art by autistic Owen Suskind
  • Neurodiversity

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 AutismConnect - Museums thrust autistic artists into the mainstream
  2. Baron-Cohen, Simon; Ashwin, Emma; Ashwin, Chris; Tavassoli, Teresa; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev (2009-05-27). "Talent in autism: hyper-systemizing, hyper-attention to detail and sensory hypersensitivity" (in en). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364 (1522): 1377–1383. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0337. ISSN 0962-8436. PMID 19528020. 
  3. "Artwork". https://www.autismspeaks.org/artwork. 
  4. "Autism, Art, and Accessibility to Theater" (in en). AMA Journal of Ethics 18 (12): 1232–1240. 2016-12-01. doi:10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.12.imhl1-1612. ISSN 2376-6980. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/autism-art-and-accessibility-theater/2016-12. 
  5. Baron-Cohen, Simon; Ashwin, Emma; Ashwin, Chris; Tavassoli, Teresa; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev (2009-05-27). "Talent in autism: hyper-systemizing, hyper-attention to detail and sensory hypersensitivity" (in en). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364 (1522): 1377–1383. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0337. ISSN 0962-8436. PMID 19528020. 
  6. Cardinal, Roger (2009-05-27). "Outsider Art and the autistic creator". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364 (1522): 1459–1466. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0325. PMID 19528031. 
  7. "Stephen Wiltshire - Buy original drawings and limited editions" (in en). https://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/. 
  8. Smith, Roberta (1999-01-22). "ART REVIEW; Redefining a Style As It Catches On". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/22/arts/art-review-redefining-a-style-as-it-catches-on.html?pagewanted=3. 
  9. Henriett Seth F. - Rain Girl | Wisconsin Medical Society
  10. Wisconsin Medical Society
  11. George Widener - A Multiply Gifted Savant | Wisconsin Medical Society
  12. "George Widener" (in en-US). https://www.riccomaresca.com/portfolio-items/george-widener/. 
  13. "govy" (in en-US). http://www.dontstareatthesun.com/. 
  14. Mullin, Jill. Drawing autism. Grandin, Temple. New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-61775-198-1. OCLC 833301442. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/833301442. 
  15. "The art of autism". https://the-art-of-autism.com/category/about-the-art-of-autism/.