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Outsider Art Becoming Insider: the Example of Henry Darger

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Outsider Art Becoming Insider: the Example of Henry Darger OUTSIDER ART BECOMING INSIDER: THE EXAMPLE OF HENRY DARGER by BADE NUR ÇAYIR Submitted to the Graduate School of Social Sciences in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Sabancı University JUNE 2019 Bade Nur Çayır June 2019 © All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT OUTSIDER ART BECOMING INSIDER: THE EXAMPLE OF HENRY DARGER BADE NUR ÇAYIR CULTURAL STUDIES M.A. THESIS, JUNE 2019 Thesis advisor: Prof. AyĢe Gül Altınay Keywords: outsider art, madness, henry darger, art brut, psychiatry This thesis focuses on the outsider art also known as mad art. The question of how a mad becomes an artist by the art world is examined through the example of Henry Darger, one of the most famous outsider artists. Different biographies of Darger show us the process of construction of outsider artist image. The main aim of this thesis is to question the dynamics of the art world and to discuss how it creates its own limits while creating a new identity. It is discussed how the mad, the subject of psychiatry, is reconstructed in the art world and how this construction affects the art world. In this process, biography is treated as a commodity and considered as the most important element in the establishment of the outsider art. iv ÖZET DIġARIDAN SANATIN ĠÇERĠDEN SANATA DÖNÜġMESĠ: HENRY DARGER ÖRNEĞĠ BADE NUR ÇAYIR YÜKSEK LĠSANS TEZĠ, HAZĠRAN 2019 Tez danıĢmanı: Prof. Dr. AyĢe Gül Altınay Anahtar kelimeler: dıĢarı sanatı, delilik, Henry Darger, psikiyatri Bu tez dıĢarıdan sanat olarak adlandırılan deli sanatına odaklanmaktır. Bir delinin nasıl sanat dünyası tarafından sanatçı haline getirildiği sorusu bilinen en ünlü sanatçılardan biri olan Henry Darger örneği üzerinden incelenmektedir. Darger üzerine yazılan farklı biyografiler bize deli sanatçı kurgusunun nasıl iĢlediğini göstermektedir. Tezin ana amacı sanat dünyasının dinamiklerini sorgulamak, yeni bir kimlik yaratırken nasıl sınırlar çizdiğini tartıĢmaktır. Pskiyatrinin öznesi olan delinin sanat dünyası içerisinde nasıl yeniden kurgulandığı ve bu kurgunun sanat dünyası nasıl etkilediği tartıĢılır. Bu süreçte biyografi bir meta olarak ele alınır ve dıĢarıdan sanatın kurulmasındaki en önemli öğe olarak ele alınır. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people who made this thesis possible and helped me through my journey. I would like to thank: To my thesis advisor AyĢe Gül Altınay and committee member AyĢecan Terzioğlu for always supporting and being patient with me. Ahu Antmen Akiska, for all your contribution to my thesis and for your amazing class that made me excited for academia again. To my picnic team; Cansu, Sümeyra, Serhat and AyĢegül. This thesis could not be possible without your support. Thank you for your endless phone calls, atelier days and delicious food. To the rest of my cohort; Janine, Hatice, Hana, Murat, Bahadır, Ece. I could not ask for a better cohort, you are the best! To my two partners in crime; Hüseyin and Melih. I survived this year with your pep talks and future plans. So lucky to have you both! To my dad, mom for always believing in me even though I had a radical career change. I am glad I followed your footsteps. To Gülce for encouraging me to follow my passion and write about art. To Tuğçe, Zeynep, Türkan for keeping my sane and entertained this past year. To Begüm, AyĢegül, Betül and Deniz Hoca for making Sabancı University a home for me. Lastly, KoĢuyolu Reserve Starbucks and its baristas. That thesis definitely would not be possible without you. vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Henry Darger‘s painting from Realms of The Unreal series ―Untitled‖ …4 Figure 1.1 Henry Darger‘s painting from Realms of The Unreal series ―Untitled‖ …5 Figure 2.1 Paintings from the Prinzhorn Collection……………………………...... 18 Figure 2.2 Carlo Zinelli “Untitled”……………………………………………………… 25 Figure 2.3 Agnes Richter‘ jacket…………………………………………………... 31 Figure 2.4 Emma Hauck ―Herzensschatzi komm‖ Letter to her husband…………..32 Figure 2.5 Howard Finster ―The Super Powers‖………………………………….. .36 Figure 2.6 Vivian Maier “Self portrait”………………………………………………… 37 Figure 2.7 Adolf Wölfli ―Der San Salvathor”…………………………………………. 39 Figure 3.1 Henry Darger ―Untitled” ……………………………………………………..44 Figure 3.2 Henry Darger ―Untitled‖……………………………………...……….. 46 Figure 3.3 American Magazine Cover…………………………………………….. 46 Figure 3.4 Henry Darger‘s Room…………………………………………………. 48 Figure 3.5 Henry Darger “Vivian Girls”………………………………………………. 53 Figure 3.6 Henry Darger “Untitled”…………………………………………………… 57 Figure 3.7 Henry Darger “Untitled”…………………………………………………… 60 Figure 3.8 Henry Darger “Untitled”…………………………………………………… 62 Figure 4.1 Friedrich Boss ―Untitled”…………………………………………………... 80 Figure 4.2 John Serl ―Untitled”………………………………………………………… 90 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Outsider Art ............................................................................................................ 2 1.2. Henry Darger .......................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Why I Chose Darger? .............................................................................................. 5 1.4. Methodology........................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 9 1.6. Significance .......................................................................................................... 10 1.7. Thesis Structure .................................................................................................... 11 2. OUTSIDER ART ..................................................................................................... 13 2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2. Brief History of Madness in the Art World .......................................................... 14 2.2.1. Mad as a Muse – Romantics ....................................................................... 14 2.2.2. Mad Art and Psychiatry ............................................................................... 16 2.2.3. Earlier Studies: Reja and Morgenthaler ....................................................... 17 2.2.4. Prinzhorn and Avant-Garde Artist ............................................................... 18 2.2.5. Founding Father Dubuffet and l‘Art Brut .................................................... 20 2.2.6. From Art Brut to Outsider Art .................................................................... 24 2.2.7. Outsider Art ................................................................................................ 26 2.2.8. Entrance to the Art Market .......................................................................... 27 2.3. What Do Outsiders Represent for Insiders? ........................................................ 28 2.4. Why Are Insiders Drawn to Outsiders?............................................................... 29 2.5. Features of Outsider Artist ................................................................................. 30 2.5.1. Biography ................................................................................................... 33 2.5.2. Discovery .................................................................................................... 35 2.5.3. Authenticity ................................................................................................ 35 2.5.4. Agency ........................................................................................................ 37 viii 2.5.5. Disconnection from Culture ....................................................................... 39 2.6. Art World as a Discursive Field .......................................................................... 41 3. HENRY DARGER .................................................................................................. 43 3.1. Who Is Darger?..................................................................................................... 44 3.2. Darger‘s Art ......................................................................................................... 44 3.3. Darger‘s Life ....................................................................................................... 47 3.4. Othering Darger .................................................................................................... 49 3.4.1. Lincoln Asylum ........................................................................................... 51 3.4.2. Interest in Little Girls ................................................................................... 53 3.4.3. William & Being Gay .................................................................................. 55 3.4.4. Gender Confusion ........................................................................................ 57 3.4.5. Violence & What his art represents ............................................................. 60 3.5. Genre with a Story ................................................................................................ 68 3.6. Exhibitions ............................................................................................................ 73 3.7. Commodification of Outsider Art ........................................................................ 75 4.
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