Why do people create art? The creative process and the nature of art are topics that have been debated for centuries in both the scientific and artistic communities. Much has been written—and will continue to be written—about schizophrenia and art, two concepts frequently considered together in both art history and psychiatry.
Throughout history, there have been many artists diagnosed with schizophrenia, including Syd Barrett—the guitarist and vocalist who composed most of the songs during Pink Floyd’s early years—and the Australian concert pianist, David Helfgott—who became as famous for his schizoaffective disorder as for his piano playing, and whose dramatic life was the subject of the Oscar-winning film *Shine*—Louis Wain, the famous painter known for his extraordinary cat paintings who reflected the entire course of his illness in his art, and Van Gogh
Louis Wain (1860–1939)—was diagnosed with schizophrenia fifteen years before his death. During his stable periods, the artist created charming, beautiful, and happy cat paintings; during his episodes, however, he depicted angry, distorted, colorful, and unsettling cats that seemed to radiate electricity or energy outward.
Depending on the course of his illness, the artist worked in two distinct styles. Those unaware of Wain’s schizophrenia might have thought he adopted a style that transcended his previous artistic mastery, but the artist did so as a result of his illness.
Prinzhorn, an art historian and psychiatrist considered a pioneer of art therapy who published the book *Pictures by the Mentally Ill* in 1922, collected the spontaneous drawings created by patients at the Heidelberg University Psychiatric Clinic—most of whom had never received any formal art training and 75 percent of whom had schizophrenia—and amassed a vast collection that formed the basis of his book *Pictures by the Mentally Ill*. Many of the drawings in this collection closely resemble the works of modern artists due to their extraordinary qualities and masterful execution. However, these patients were unaware of modern artists, and modern artists were not yet well-known.
The most significant of the psychotic artists in Prinzhorn’s collection is Adolf Wölfli. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Wölfli began painting four years after being admitted to the hospital. After his death, his paintings and drawings began to be sold, and a foundation was established in his name. His works are housed at the Bern Art Museum in Switzerland. There are many other names of artists who emerged while in the hospital.
When we examine the differences between a schizophrenic who later became an artist and a professional artist, the first things that come to mind might be self-expression, the urge to create, and the desire for immortality. An artist blends his personal experiences, subconscious, philosophy of life, and the collective unconscious; he processes the raw, unrefined material lying deep within—using experience, knowledge, skill, and aesthetic elements—and presents it to society. A person with schizophrenia, on the other hand, typically conveys messages that describe his inner world and uses symbols that hold special meaning for him. For this reason, unless we discuss the painting with the patient, we cannot fully understand what he is trying to convey.