Sunday, January 22, 2006

Was Andy Warhol Autistic?

This is from The Scotsman:

DOES AUTISM MAKE YOU A BETTER ARTIST?
AMONG those given MBEs in this year's New Year Honours was the artist Stephen Wiltshire. A big success, his immensely detailed cityscapes fly off gallery walls. He is also autistic. But are the two connected?
Ioan James, a professor of geometry at Oxford, is writing a book investigating whether Andy Warhol, among other influential figures in the arts, mathematics and history, suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. His use of grid patterns, paralysing shyness and tendency to repetitious behaviour may be clues that he did. Michael Fitzgerald's The Genesis of Artistic Creativity: Asperger's Syndrome and the Arts suggests it could also be added to Van Gogh's list of ailments. Likewise, LS Lowry. Seems that Scottish painter Peter Howson, who realised as an adult he was an Asperger's sufferer, is in good company.
James has said characteristics associated with creativity - "perseverance, perfectionism, disregard for social conventions and unconcern about the opinions of others" - are remarkably like those associated with Asperger's.
In Edinburgh, meanwhile, the work of three remarkable young artists is at the Atticsalt Gallery, 50 Thistle Street North East Lane, until next Saturday, to raise funds for the Autism Treatment Trust. Lloyd Allanson, 10, Danielle McLernon, 14 and Louis Larochelle, 9, all suffer from autism to different degrees and all have produced artwork with an unusual degree of attentiveness and maturity.
Exhibition organiser Lorene Amet, Lloyd's mother, says: "A lot of people have autism. Are they more talented than others? I don't think you can be sure. I think their work stands out because it's different, they perceive the world differently."

No comments: