Robalini's Note: Here's an article from 2000 about Louis Wain I wrote for Disinfo...
Louis Wain, Pussy LoverRobert Sterling
He may not have cut off his ear like Van Gogh, but there are few artists who are linked to insanity quite like English artist Louis Wain.
Born August 5th, 1860, Wain is best known for his obsession with painting cats. A widower by the age of 26, he had already become well known for his artistic output, and in 1890, he was named President of the National Cat Club. By the turn of the 20th century, his was a household name.Unfortunately, the cat fancy passed, and his good fortune fell with it. Louis’ eldest sister died in 1917, and some believe the eccentric painter began to crack. Others point to the wild eyes of the cats in his many paintings, and suggest the break from reality was quite earlier. Maybe not: he began accusing his sisters of robbing him, a charge that may have been legitimate. (His real problem may have been a lack of funds.) While mired in poverty, he was certified insane in 1924, a diagnosed schizophrenic.
Despite this, Wain continued painting. By 1930, his work had a decidedly hallucinogenic quality that some believe reflected his insanity. His work was rediscovered, and a fund was started to assist him. H.G. Wells and the Prime Minister became fans of his art. He died in 1939.
Wain has since become popular among two groups: cat lovers (naturally) and investigators of psychology, who saw in his work the snapshots of a man who had a break with reality. That’s a shame, because his work (both the early years and the supposed years of insanity) shouldn’t be treated as a mere freak-show curiosity.
Of late, interest in Wain has dwindled, but if we can help resurrect appreciation of this most unfortunate genius, so much the better. Come on -let’s help create a bandwagon!
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2 comments:
Great article. I'm a huge Louis Wain fan myself. I recently came across an interesting article that also disputes the mental illness that Wain was supposedly subjected to: http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2007/09/the_false_progressio.html
The article points out that the schizophrenic cat paintings collected by Dr. Walter Maclay lack a date! There is no proof that these paintings were painted in progression.
Other articles I've come across have also pointed out that Wain was clearly able to paint and draw ordinary cats long after being institutionalized and he just happened to be interested in patterns. It's also possible he never suffered from schizophrenia at all...that perhaps he just suffered from OCD.
My opinion? I think he was just really pissed off at his vulturesque sisters who seemed to be mostly responsible for driving him into financial ruin! LOL!
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