Viktor Orth (1853–1919) 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 artist 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 ...

''. A naval cadet in his youth, Orth was plagued by a

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 ...

of being poisoned as early as 1878, and in 1880 saw fit to flee his ship and attempt

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 ...

while on a train. From 1883 until his death he would be hospitalized. He believed himself at different times the King of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, the Duke of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, and the King of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Although the hospital staff had a difficult time getting Orth to do things like eat and clean, he painted compulsively starting in 1900, using plant juices when without paint and painting on walls when they were the only available surface. Although he evidently displayed great concern for pictorial unity, often to the detriment of accurate representation, his individual brushstrokes are messy and disorganized, without the precision that characterizes many schizophrenic works.

Resources

* 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. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Orth, Viktor 1853 births 1919 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