''Artistry of the Mentally Ill: a contribution to the psychology and psychopathology of configuration'' (german: Bildnerei der Geisteskranken: ein Beitrag zur Psychologie und Psychopathologie der Gestaltung) is a 1922 book by
psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn
Hans Prinzhorn (6 June 1886 – 14 June 1933) was a German psychiatrist and art historian.
Born in Hemer, Westphalia, he studied art history and philosophy at the University of Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1908. He then went to England t ...
, known as the work that launched the field of
psychiatric art. It was the first attempt to analyze the drawings of the mentally ill not merely psychologically, but also
aesthetically.
In the book, Prinzhorn presents the works of ten "
schizophrenic
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdr ...
masters", now housed in Prinzhorn Collection at the
University Hospital Heidelberg
University Hospital Heidelberg () is a university hospital in Heidelberg, Germany and is with 1,991 beds one of the largest medical centers in the country. It is closely linked to Heidelberg University Medical School (Heidelberg University Fac ...
, with in-depth aesthetic analysis of each and also full-color reproductions of their work. These ten masters were (birth names in parentheses):
[Krannert Art Museum. 1984. ''The Prinzhorn Collection: selected work from the Prinzhorn Collection of the art of the mentally ill : Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, November 10, 1984 to January 6, 1985 nd others'. Champaign, Ill: University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. ]
*
Karl Brendel (Genzel)
*
August Klotz (Klett)
*
Peter Meyer (Moog)
*
August Neter (Natterer)
*
Johann Knüpfer (Knopf)
*
Viktor Orth (Clemens von Oertzen)
*
Hermann Beil (Behle)
*
Heinrich Welz (Hyacinth Freiherr von Wieser)
*
Joseph Sell (Schneller)
*
Franz Karl Bühler (Franz Pohl)
References
Resources
*Hans Prinzhorn, ''Artistry of the mentally ill: a contribution to the psychology and psychopathology of configuration'', translated by Eric von Brockdorff from the second German edition, with an introduction by James L. Foy, (Wien, New York: Springer-Verlag), 1972. .
Prinzhorn collection museumPrinzhorn, Hans. ''Bildnerei der Geisteskranken'' (1922)
at the University of Heidelberg Digital Library
1922 non-fiction books
Books about visual art
Works about outsider art
{{art-book-stub