19 Nov 2010

Judith Scott


ART BRUT or OUTSIDER ART
(by Beverly Kaye)


In Roger Cardinal's seminal book "Outsider Art" published in 1972, he describes a "fantastic excursion into a world where hermits, madmen, dropouts, innocents and spiritual fanatics create their own widely imaginative art." Certainly, not all Outsider Art as we use the term today, is the product of the insane. It is, however, filled with "a profound strangeness and integrity...worthy of study, contemplation, and collection" (S.Farber). In Cardinal's book the term Outsider Art is used only on the cover. The text inside calls this work "Art Brut", as it is widely known in Europe. The term refers to an art that is raw, meaning "uncooked by society". It was first recognized and saved by astute psychiatrists associated with European mental institutions, specifically Dr. Hans Prinzhorn and Dr. Leo Navratile. In the 1940s, Prinzhorn notified his friend Jean Dubuffet, an artist and collector, about the extraordinary work being created at the institution. Dubuffet was deeply influenced in his own work by the art he saw, and he also began to put together a collection which included some of these works, later to become known as the "Collection de l'Art Brut". However, it is important to note that artistic masters are as infrequent in the "normal" population, as they are among the mentally ill. Dubuffet sent his collection of 1000 outstanding works of art to his friend and fellow artist, Ossorio, in East Hampton, Long Island, hoping a home for the collection could be found in the United States. This was never to come about, and the art was eventually returned. The final resting place for the collection is now in Lausanne, Switzerland.

While the art was abroad, Dubuffet's collection expanded. He continued to discover works that were not done by institutionalized patients, but were similar in feeling. Some, but not all of these creators were social isolates, eccentrics, and obsessives. These works were placed in what Dubuffet called his "Annex" collection. The criteria he used was an intensity of expression, freedom from cultural influences (almost an impossibility these days), working in isolation, and driven only by an intense need to create. This would be a close description of some of the artists whose work I represent. Early trauma also produces a distinct vocabulary in artists who choose, or are driven, to revisit old wounds (see ART and TRAUMA below).

Because of advanced medications available today, far fewer people live out their lives in psychiatric hospitals. And our unconscionable cutbacks in state funding for these facilities have put many of the mentally ill back on the street with prescriptions that don't often get filled. It saddens me to uncover the fact that up to the year 1815, the Hospital of Bethlem in London (where we get the word "bedlam"), exhibited "Lunatics" for a penny every Sunday. And they counted 96,000 visitors a year!

In Hogarth paintings in the 18th century, depicting interiors of "Insane Asylums", look carefully and you will see Outsider Art painted on the walls. I mention this in rebuttal to all the articles referring to Outsider Art as if it were a new discovery. In the United States the term has come to hold too many meanings. The umbrella has become too large, and encompasses so many types of art that the good is in danger of being banished with the bad. For instance, mentally ill "schooled" artists have produced work that is vastly different from the body of work done in healthier periods. Their artistic training didn't disappear. But to describe the art as being simply self-taught is also absurd. Nor is this art done solely by the mentally ill, as Dubuffet later discovered. How have we come to name a type of art by describing the artist as opposed to describing the art? My personal interest lies in discovering and witnessing the art, and trying to peel away the many layers of meaning at the heart of each work. I then attempt to present both this extraordinary work, and its creators with the dignity and respect they so richly deserve. There is no art sold by diagnosis here. There are clear indications that this art will be absorbed into the wealth of strong and exceptional 20th and 21st century work, and the need for uncomfortable adjectives to describe it will diminish.

ART and TRAUMA

Early trauma produces a distinct vocabulary in artists who choose, or are driven, to revisit old wounds. We all have an inner voice that counsels us day and night. When trauma occurs, especially at an early age, that voice goes silent. No words exist that can adequately describe the horror of the event. In place of this inner voice there is now a living, palpable void, which can forever shape the tenor of a person's life. Dr. Leonard Shengold called this type of early trauma "Soul Murder" in his book by the same name.

If the survivor turns to art for expression, this void can show itself in various ways. Holes might be punched through a painting or a drawing. A negative space is sometimes incorporated into a piece of sculpture. In powerful self-portraits created by an artist who was traumatized as a child, dark circles in thick oil paint are explained as "stomach aches". These circles unconsciously represent the void created by the silence of the inner voice. One can also find dramatic pauses in music or cadence changes in poetry. (Credit to Drs. Dori Laub and Gilbert Rose)

When such a person turns to art, there is a chance that the emotions surrounding the trauma will be revisited, possibly for the first time since the trauma itself. These emotions might not be readily apparent to the artist, but their emergence in the art will allow for an opportunity for these feelings to be witnessed and acknowledged. Healing can begin on levels that might still be subliminal, but the process can begin. Art therapy does not necessarily require a classroom.

ART THERAPY - A GESTALT APPROACH

Hello! Welcome to our creative therapy centre!

Here you will find everything related to Art Therapy using the Gestalt approach.

What is Art ?:

Art is genarally known as what is done by a person whose purpose is to express a message through symbols.

These symbolic tools can be music, paintings, sculptures, theater and so on.


What is Gestalt Therapy ?:

Gestalt therapy is a methodology within psychology that grew out of the research and work of the psychiatrist Dr.Fritz Perls and his wife Dr.Laura Perls.

These two professionals were coming from the psychoanalytic perspective and felt that this method was not enough to work with clients. Today we are clearly aware that no one single method can resolve the issues that involve a range of human suffering and growth.

Gestalt is a German word roughly meaning "Shape" or "configuration".

This concept is understood, in gneral terms, that all individual experiences are shaped by a figure and a background. As time goes on, and our needs change, the figure can become the background and vice versa. So in the client's experience, the figure is changing at all times from becoming a background and as the needs arise, the figure emerges seeking completion.

When we block or prevent this process, we become unaware and suffer. That is a part of the theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy.

Gestalt therapy, therefore, is a "philosophy", a way of being in the world in the "here and now" and taking "response-aibility" without pushing the river. Thus life is a flow ..

What is GESTALT Art Therapy?


It is the sum of the two previous concepts, Gestal therapy and the use of tools we learn to use in art therapy.

Using the artistic tools and adding the gestalt language between client and psychotherapist we work jointly to decode the messages hidden in the intrinsic symbols representing the client's situation. The Psychotherapist accompanies the client in the process of "discovering" what is helpful and not analysing or interpreting, but suggesting and asking the client what it is he or she knows are the answers and supports client's need to discover the ncessary solutions.

WE ARE SURE THAT YOU WILL BE ATTRACTED by this new way of working with emotions, whether or not you are a professional psychologist or therapist, since many of the exercises can be used personally for your own growth.

Our work is done in Australia & Spain and other countries. We have given workshops and participated in conferences throughout the world. We are located in our offices at the Gestalt Art Therapy Centre in Brisbane -Australia.

BE HAPPY HERE AND NOW..... AND BE CREATIVE !

Yaro Starak - Gestalt Psychoterapist
Gemma Garcia- Gestalt Therapist- Ericksonian Hypnosis


SEE LABELS ON THE RIGHT SIDE

1-TRAINING MODULES FOR SALE: Gestalt art therapy

1.1-FOR PSYCHOLOGY & THERAPY PROFESSIONALS:

Here you will find and carry out therapeutic work with tools that combine art and gestalt method.

You can learn new ways of providing therapeutic treatment depending on the particular situation and client needs.

1.2-ART AS PERSONAL GROWTH

These modules can be practical exercises for your "realize" how do you do in your life.

There are specific modules that you can play with your partner and / or family.

SKYPE - ON LINE THERAPY

We offer brief therapy sessions via Skype. You may request a no-obligation appointment with us, the first session is free.

This is a way of doing personal therapy we call "Emergency work" used in very special cases and situations. For us, the therapy session should be mainly for the benefit of the client needing immediate help.

BOOKS FOR SALE:

GESTALT THERAPY theory and practice - some books written by Yaro Starak

A GESTALT TEST: you can acquire to discover your potentials.

VIDEOS & DVD focussing on gestalt work and art therapy work.

ARTICLES: Written by varoius therapists from Australia, NZ and overseas.