The term was coined by the publisher of the first
American book on Art Brut (Outsider Art by Roger
Cardinal 1972),
'Art Brut' was coined by the artist Jean Dubuffet to
mean art that is 'strictly untutored and exists out
side the normal concept of art'(totally un-cultured
and original in it's preconception...including being
prompted by concerns of money.) And therefore can not
be a movement or school of painting.
The ironic part is the early modernist movements
were trying to emulate (or just 'assimilate' the raw
power of) this kind of art...(there was also a
movement to make purely primitive art). While every
one was trying to unlearn western art, there were
these people that never learned, but to some degree
wish that they could, possibly brought on by
century's of hierarchal control of what is right in
art (with the school of thought that art is a 'craft'
that must improve). Art is not about hand-eye
coordination and technique, Art is about getting into
a zone to create magic!
[Primitive cultures experience art as magic ritual,
rather than 'intellectual viewing': Defining art so it
can be understood by the left brain, never seeing the
whole meaning at once]
I am influenced by any art that has the 'magic'
(The ability to put you in touch with your primal
child, buried under your intellect)...from the surreal
look of the 'Italian Renaissance' to the
'Anti-minimalist' movement ('horror vacua' a clinical
term for the fear of an unoccupied area in art that is
lavishly over embellished...Fantastique and Visionary
art , to subculture underground comix art). In this
age of sadism and stupidity hypnotizing us into buying
things we don't really want, just to relieve the
stress of watching television, effectively
eliminating the use of personal visualization and
person to person story telling. I think people 'need'
paintings that seek to capture the primal stages of
thought to help them stay sane! (But I also think
people are insane to define their world with
metaphysical belief systems.)
Ultimately I just
want to make pictures that will grab your attention
and not let go until you have a religious experience.
Note the dynamic body language relating to moral
forces of change.
I started with an Art Brut style
but just couldn't keep it up, I was
compelled to teach my self to add depth and other
realistic effects. Perhaps due to my self training as
a musical instrument builder, (I spent a lot of
years learning to notice details, and improve my
'craft'.)
I may learn to make things recognizable, but I
still want to keep a certain amount of rawness in my
pictures, ( I may loose my spontaneity by putting
too much effort into realism). I call my paintings Surreal because
thay are in the realm of childhood visions and dreams,
but a more descriptive term would be Naive Neurotic
Self-taught 'FUN'!
All this absurdity promotes satire.
Existential funney farm art by L'Nhoj Yesdnil:
Artist's survival fund donations accepted for paintings
Visit WWW.FUNNYFARMART.COM
U.S.postal money order, or CASH,only by insured mail:
John Lindsey
All paintings posted in mailing tubes.($10 to $15 shipping)
