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That Louis Wain, prolific and popular illustrator of cats became schizophrenic is not questioned; that his happy, whimsical paintings of cats were transfigured by his disease into spiky abstractions, "Characteristic changes in the art began to occur, changes common to schizophrenic artists."
Unfortunately, the facts in the case are not so simple.
The off-puttingly titled "Catland" www.lilitu.com/catland/ is devoted to the art of Mr. Wain, and apropos the spiky schizophrenic abstractions, which Wain called "wallpaper cats", it comments that:
Wain drew many wallpaper cats during his stay in Bethlem asylum. Some have claimed that these drawings were an indication of his deteriorating mental state, since filling in pictures with detailed patterns is often a sign of schizophrenia. Others have doubted such theories, since he continued to produce drawings in his older style both while doing the wallpaper cats and afterwards. Both Brian Reade and Rodney Dale independantly came to the conclusion that Wain interest in patterns stemmed from his mother's designs of tapestries and fabrics. Dale describes it so:
"It seems to me at least as reasonable to suppose that Louis Wain was experimenting wih the patterns which he remembered from his youth as that he was deteriorating."
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The noble savage is a romantic conceit. When no savages are present, we try to look for those "touched (by the hand of g*d)" and imbue them with preternatural gifts. SMany times our desires for the other are merely projections.
In this case, a progression of abstraction wallpaper and textile designs. Aided and abetted, no doubt, by his illness. But not solely the province of his "madness", either.
That Louis Wain, prolific and popular illustrator of cats became schizophrenic is not questioned; that his happy, whimsical paintings of cats were transfigured by his disease into spiky abstractions, "Characteristic changes in the art began to occur, changes common to schizophrenic artists."
Unfortunately, the facts in the case are not so simple.
The off-puttingly titled "Catland" www.lilitu.com/catland/ is devoted to the art of Mr. Wain, and apropos the spiky schizophrenic abstractions, which Wain called "wallpaper cats", it comments that:
Wain drew many wallpaper cats during his stay in Bethlem asylum. Some have claimed that these drawings were an indication of his deteriorating mental state, since filling in pictures with detailed patterns is often a sign of schizophrenia. Others have doubted such theories, since he continued to produce drawings in his older style both while doing the wallpaper cats and afterwards. Both Brian Reade and Rodney Dale independantly came to the conclusion that Wain interest in patterns stemmed from his mother's designs of tapestries and fabrics. Dale describes it so:
"It seems to me at least as reasonable to suppose that Louis Wain was experimenting wih the patterns which he remembered from his youth as that he was deteriorating."
-----
The noble savage is a romantic conceit. When no savages are present, we try to look for those "touched (by the hand of g*d)" and imbue them with preternatural gifts. SMany times our desires for the other are merely projections.
In this case, a progression of abstraction wallpaper and textile designs. Aided and abetted, no doubt, by his illness. But not solely the province of his "madness", either.
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Scranton
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