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The Psgchedelic Artist

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The Psgchedelic Artist The psgchedelic artist S TAN LEY K RIP P NE R, Ph. D. During 1967 I made a survey by means of interviews and a questionnaire of 91 artists who were known to have had one or more psychedelic ex- periences. I knew many of these artists personally and obtained the names of others through people active in the psychedelic movement. I avoided interviews with amateurs and "Sunday painters"; the artists in the survey were professionally committed to the creative life. Their talents and comparative development as artists did, of course, vary, but among the 91 were an award-winning filmmaker, a Guggenheim Fellow in poetry, a recipient of Ford, Fulbright, and Rockefeller study grants in painting, and others of substantial reputation. A wide variety of expression was represented by the artists ques- tioned, and many of them engaged in more than one form of creative activity. Production of drawing and painting was the most frequently mentioned (by 47 and 44 of the artists, respectively). Then followed light shows or Iumia (19), mixed media (19), films (16), prose (15), photo- graphy(13), instrumental music (13), poetry (12), collage (4), sculp- ture (4), theater (4), and happenings (3). Smaller percentages of the artists were involved with architecture, ceramics, environments, costume design, dance, fabrics, graphics, interior design, music composition, vocal music, and weaving. Most of the artists were from the New York area. However, some of them lived in other cities in various parts of the United States and Eu- rope. Of the group, 78 were men, 13 were women. Most of the artists were in their twenties or thirties, many were in their forties, and some were in their fifties or sixties. Those whom I could not interview were sent a questionnaire by mail. From some, I never received a reply. A few admitted that they suspected I was an agent for the U. S. Federal Narcotics Bureau or the Food and Drug Administration. A European painter claimed that I was working for the Central Intelligence Agency. Many artists cooperated only after it was made clear that they would remain anonymous. 1""'""""------ I - H.•4n. al'l'leadyexpaltded conscio'usness" It was suggested to each artist that "the psychedelic artist generally is defined as one whose paintings or other forms of artistic expression show the effects of psychedelic experience, usually chemically induced. The work may have been produced as a result of psychedelic experience, during psychedelic experience, or in an attempt to induce a psychedelic experience." The artists were generally in agreement with this definition; 79 answered affirmatively, 6 gave a qualified affirmative answer, and 6 answered negatively. Those who qualified their answers suggested additional ways in which art and psychedelic experience might be related. A poet noted that psychedelic art often serves to remind people of their psychedelic experi- ences; the play Frankenstein, as mounted by the Living Theater, was cited as an example.("Acid rock" frequently was mentioned as well; this form of music employs a monotonous, harshly amplified drone sound which sometimes acts as a consciousness-altering stimulus.) One artist proposed a further extension of the definition, saying that "psychedelic art can be work which helps you turn on." He con- tinued: "I paint murals for wealthy acid-heads; they look at my paintings while they're high and they have a more exciting trip." Two artists agreed with the given definition but pointed out certain problems involved in defining psychedelic art Photographer Irwin Gooen stated that all art can be termed "psychedelic" because art "gives the viewer a feeling of sharing something with an already expanded con- sciousness-that of an artist" Poet Allen Ginsberg noted that the type of consciousness produced by LSD or peyote often resembles the type of consciousness produced by yoga, religious discipline, or "peak experi- ence." Ginsberg continued: "All the art that I always have been inter- ested in-even before my use of psychedelic chemicals-grows out of that area." A photographer said that it may be premature to define psychedelic art because "we have had only about ten years of LSD experience." He continued: "The artistic products of psychedelic experience were formed under police oppression; these products may not resemble what will be demonstrated in a future generation in which psychedelic art represents a natural way of thinking rather than a variant." Each of the 91 artists was asked if he considered himself to be a "psychedelic artist" Six artists did not answer, 11 answered negatively, 65 answered affirmatively, and 9 gave an affirmative answer with qualifi- cations. In summary, a remarkably large number of the artists surveyed (85 out of 91) agreed with a broad definition of the "psychedelic artist," and 74 felt that the term could be applied to them personally. i'Ll collective mind" While working on the survey, I visited Garnerville, New York, home of US CO ("The Us Company"), a group of painters, poets, filmmakers, technicians, and weavers who live and work communally in an aban- doned church. One of the works of art I admired was a nine-foot-high painting of Shiva, the Hindu god of creation, whose outflowing energy was symbolized by pulsating light from which brilliant lines radiated. Superimposed on the Shiva was a painted Buddha; red lights throbbed at the edges of the canvas in the steady rhythm of a beating heart. I asked an attractive young weaver which member of the group had conceived the Shiva-Buddha painting. She replied, with a smile, "We are all one." This visit was very much in my mind when I tabulated the results of a question which asked: "Are you part of a larger group of psychedelic artists?" Affirmative replies were given by 19 of the individuals surveyed, and negative replies by 64. Six artists gave a qualified affirmative answer, being members of loosely organized groups such as New York City's Psychedelic Showcase, but not members of organizations that work co- operatively on projects. Two did not respond. The groups most often mentioned were USCG, the Living Theater, Fluxus, Mandala (a French group), Sigma (a Dutch group), and the League for Spiritual Discovery (a religious group headed by psychologist- turned-prophet Timothy Leary) . Don Snyder, who developed an "organic slide" for projection ma- chines and who was an innovator in the field of lumia, stated that it is quite natural for psychedelic artists to work in groups. Aside from the benefits of shared ideas, Snyder noted that the psychedelics can pro- duce the notion of "a collective mind." Snyder also reported that he had often experienced "intense feelings, under LSD, of entering into another person's thoughts and becoming that person." HThousauds of doors" All of the 91 artists in the survey reported having had at least one psy- chedelic experience. When asked if they had ever taken a psychedelic substance, 87 answered yes; 4 answered no. ----.-~-. • Costume designer Joseph Felician has never ingested chemicals such 166 • The psychedelic artist as LSD but uses self-hypnosis. ACanadian painter has never used psy- chedelic chemicals but practices yoga.ACalifornia artist stated that he attains alterations in consciousness by means of prayer and meditation; another claims to have experienced consciousness-alteration spontane- ously. Of the chemical substances, LSD is the most popular psychedelic, being mentioned by 84 members of the group. Marijuana (legally classi- fied as a narcotic but actually a mild psychedelic) has been used by 78 of the artists, followed by DMT (dimethyltriptamine)(46), peyote (41), mescaline (38), morning-glory seeds (31), psilocybin (22), hashish (21), DET (diethyltriptamine) (6), and yage (5). A small number of artists reported trying rarer substances, generally considered psychedelic, such as kava-kava, ibogaine, bufotenin, Ditran, the Amanita muscaria mushroom, and the Hawaiian wood rose. In ad- dition, a few artists claimed to have obtained psychedelic effects from substances generally not considered psychedelic-benzedrine (an am- phetamine), methedrene (an amphetamine), opium (a narcotic), ritalin, kinotrine, amyl nitrate, and nitrous oxide. Asked when they took a psychedelic substance for the first time, the group gave varied responses. Three persons reported taking psychedelics during the 1940's, 17 during the 1950's, and 65 during the 1960's. All the artists had taken their first trip before 1967.Two did not respond. The people surveyed were asked if their psychedelic experiences (nonchemically as well as chemically induced) were generally pleasant. An unqualified yes response was given by 82 artists of the group; 5 gave a qualified yes. In these five cases, it was stated that some of their initial "trips" were unpleasant but that their later experiences were pleasurable. One artist answered this question negatively, and three others did not respond. An interior designer described his psychedelic experiences as "always . stimulating artistically, whether pleasant or unpleasant." A painter noted , that his experiences were "always meaningful, no matter what." Simon , . ••. Vinkenoog, a Dutch poet, described the reason why his first experience t.I. ••f • was unpleasant: "In 1959, LSD was inflicted on me by a team of un- ••". qualified doctors-to-be who messed up some of my most beautiful experi- •• f. ences ever by having me fill in silly forms, by hooking me up to an ff •• electroencephalograph going momomomomomomomo, etc." I. Several years ago, Alex Gildzen, an Ohio poet, took his first "acid trip." A New York artist and I were his guides. The artist also took LSD; he was the "ingesting guide" and I was the "noningesting guide." As Gildzen felt the effects of the drugs coming on, with harpsichord music pouring from the phonograph, he recapitulated the evolutionary .e; ,;,,-.~.__•..;.••.., .... ,.. •• _.-•.••.• -•• e.•• ,. .If 't' ••. •••• ,•••• ~ •.• /1".
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