Johann Knüpfer (1866–1910) was a

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 withdra ...

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates e ...

ist and one of the "schizophrenic masters" profiled by

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 to ...

in his field-defining work ''

Artistry of the Mentally Ill ''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 Pr ...

''. Knüpfer was a baker's apprentice for three years as a youth before moving to a large city where he worked in a cement factory and learned the trade of locksmithing. His friends persuaded him to marry, but the union was unhappy from the start. He was an alcoholic and an abusive husband, and mistrusted not only his wife but everyone he knew. He attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

in 1902 and was committed soon afterwards. It became evident that he had been having

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

c delusions for years, and visions in which

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

explained why he was being persecuted. He told psychiatrists that "no one had suffered as much, not even Christ" (Prinzhorn 1972, p. 172). His works can be divided into two categories, the formal religious images covered with oracular inscriptions and the paintings of memories from his youth. Both categories display a preoccupation with symmetry and a fascination with circles. Knüpfer believes he is a martyr, making religion the main theme of his work. He depicts raw, ecstatic crucified figures. His drawings are accompanied by hearts with arrows through them, probably in reference to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and comments, often written in circles. Religious symbolism became an obsession for Knüpfer. Johann Knüpfer also produced drawings on the theme of childhood, in which birds play a prominent role.

Resources

* ''Écrits d’Art Brut. Graphomanes extravagants'',

Lucienne Peiry Lucienne Peiry, born in Lausanne on 4 September 1961, holds a doctorate (PhD) in the history of art; she is a specialist in Outsider Art ("Art Brut"), an exhibition curator, a lecturer and the author of several publications. She gives lectures in ...

, Paris, Le Seuil, 2020. () * Prinzhorn, Hans. ''Artistry of the mentally ill: a contribution to the psychology and psychopathology of configuration''. Trans. Eric von Brockdorff. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1972. . 1866 births 1910 deaths Outsider artists People with schizophrenia 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters {{Germany-artist-stub