WHAT MAKES PEOPLE INTERESTED IN ART IN WHICH
THE ARTIST EXHIBITS WEIRD BEHAVIOR
A Research Paper Presented to
The English Resource Center
School of Multimedia Arts
Asia Pacific College
Magallanes, Makati
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
ERESWRIT – Research Writing
Rozzali Pinuela
December 2014
Chapter I INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Insane, Crazy, Eccentric and Lunatic these are the words
people used to describe artists. And the observation of the eccentric behavior
of an artist has a long history, from Vincent Van Gogh’s ear lobe cutting to
Lady Gaga’s unique fashion.
Weird behavior always catches the attention of the media.
In an article entitled “Self-Mutilating Russian Artist Says 'There's No Greater
Evil Than Law-Abiding Citizens'” written by Dmitri Volchek. His article was
about the Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky who cut his ear off in public. Wrapped
his naked body in barbed wire and sew his lips.
Dmitri Volchek wrote “Pavlensky believes that the authorities' confusion over his latest stunt might empower ordinary Russians to stand up to what he sees as an increasingly despotic government” (rferl.com).
Seeing the video of Pavlensky’s performance one cannot
say that they won’t ended up cringing while he was doing his art. He wants his
people to stand up and speak for themselves. Well Russia is a country famous
for having a strict government, so the citizens there are afraid to rebel
against. And the only way to push the citizens to their edge is for them to see
such a brutal performance art.
In another article entitled “Folk of Genius: The 5
unusual habits of Andy Warhol” in written by Joel Williams, he mentioned some
of the weirdest behavior of the famous Pop Artist Andy Warhol. One of those is
the way he collects things that we called “trash.” Yes he collects those things
like receipts, flyers and stamps. Also he has this unusual fetish, foot fetish,
and when they gone through Andy’s stuff, they found a mummified foot.
He said that “And
as artistic oomph goes, one of the Twentieth Century Greats has to be Andy
Warhol – everybody’s favourite mop-headed Pop Art supremo. So, other than
screen-printing his way into every student bedroom in the Western World, what
did our Andy get up to?” (inktank.fi).
Andy Warhol really had the time of his life during his
pop art days, imagine from a shy and silent boy to a world known artist. His
works become popular over a period of time. There must be something in it that
the people enjoyed seeing, hearing or feeling.
One of the most famous painters besides Vincent Van Gogh
is Salvador Dali. According to an article “Salvador Dalí: 'Crazy'?” in written
by Dr. Jane Holt. She mentioned some of the mental disturbances that Dali has
experienced; hallucinations and paranoia. She also said something about the
cross-dressing of Dali where he would cut his knee and the cloth will be soaked
in blood and he also had the outrageous smell that he made out from fish and
manure.
Dr. Holt also stated “The
pertinent question is whether experiences associated with mental illness do aid
artistic creativity, and if so, how, and to what extent. Alternatively, society
may select as successful artists those who seem to be eccentric, thus, an
element of eccentricity may be associated with success rather than creative
ability. Certainly, Dalí's self-belief, self-propaganda and motivation
facilitated success (supported by a vivid imagination and technical skills)”
(creativityandanomalousexperience.blogspot.com).
There is no denying that most of the artist who became
famous exhibits an eccentric behavior. People have taken the liking in the
masterpiece if they heard a great story behind it or if they know that the
artists is known for having a unusual way of creating their masterpiece.
However, it created a stereotype in the artist and has come up with the idea
that weirder artists make better art which endangers the other artists who does
not exhibit eccentricity; if he is not crazy enough he is not good enough.
Therefore, having background knowledge about the weird
behavior of the artists will help us understand why people think highly of the
art even if the art is not that good, if the artist is eccentric and what makes
their art more interesting than the art of the artists who does not show an
unusual behavior.
The focus of this paper is to explain the connection of
the eccentricity and artists and why weirder artists became famous than the
artists.
Statement of the Problem
This paper aims to answer this question:
What makes people interested in the art in which the
artist exhibits weird behavior?
Significance of the
Study
Art Students and
Artists. This
research will help students in the field of art in developing their different
art style and appreciate other artists’ way of doing their artwork.
The People outside art
society. The
knowledge in this research will help the people outside art society in
understanding the different aesthetics of artworks. It can also help them open
up their mind about the different creative process of the artists.
Future Researchers. The research paper will be supplemental
reference for future researchers that have similar study.
Scope and Delimitation
This study focuses on the attraction of people in the art
of a weird artist. Considering that weirder artists gain more attention and
fame than other artists.
This study will no longer discuss the reason behind the
weird behavior, due to the lack of time in gathering necessary data. Therefore,
this will only give emphasis to the attitude of people towards the weird
behavior of artists.
Materials and Methods
The type of research that will be used in this study is a
descriptive research. Descriptive researchers aim to gather an in-depth
understanding of behavior of people towards art and the reasons that govern
such behavior.
The researcher will also collect information substantial
information from online academic journals and articles on interests of people
on a weird artist’s art. All the necessary data will be able to devise an
efficient conclusion.
Definition of Terms
Eccentric- (n) a person who exhibits strange behavior
(adj.) unusual, weird, uncommon
Pop Art-a movement that was marked by a fascination
with popular culture reflecting the affluence in post-war society. It was most
prominent in American art but soon spread to Britain.
(http://www.artmovements.co.uk/popart.htm)
Chapter II DISCUSSION
I.
Weirdness and Eccentricity
When do we say that a specific thing is
weird? What do we considered weird? According to a dictionary weird is
something that “Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or
supernatural” or “Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.” When
something is weird it is because of different reasons; what might be weird for
some people might not be weird for other people. We consider something is weird
when we think that it does not fit in our culture. And it is not just what the
person does we think is unusual, it is also the person itself. Artists are the
epiphany of being weird; they do things that most of the people cannot
understand and sometimes their creative process contributes to the weirdness.
For example: Tim Patches is an Australian painter who uses his sexual organ in
painting, Millie Brown also known as the vomit painter who drinks colored milk
and regurgitate it into her white canvas, Salvador Dalí’s affection for
dangerous pets, and Howard Hughes spent entire days on a chair in the middle of
the supposedly germ-free zone of his Beverly Hills Hotel suite.
Eccentricity of the Artist
Artists’ behavior is one of the things we
look from them. They have a weird and unusual way of expressing their art.
Every artist and painter has the same trait of lick of eccentricity to their
works no matter how normal they appear to be. Every project or work goes
through a great deal of emotions in order to create a masterpiece. The roller
coaster ride of emotions is what drives an artist to do what they are good at,
producing artworks. Usually, strong and aggressive emotions are seen on the
creations, maybe with a tinge of madness, is your clue to actually seeing that
someone is having a trip down insanity lane. Vincent Van Gogh an artist, who
cut his ear before painting a portrait of him, has been used in a research. His
eccentricity was mentioned to people before presenting the artwork and the
result was most of the people became more interested in his works.
In an article “Are Artists Really Eccentric?, and Forgetting the Beatles” written by Scott Timberg. He explained there that people had always considered artists as eccentric. And he also said that the crazier the better as long as it seems authentic.
Scott Timberg states “Whether artists really are eccentric, or have to be to produce bold and original work, the rest of us seem to perceive their work as better the more personally unconventional they are.” (http://www.artsjournal.com/culturecrash/2014/02/are-artists-really-eccentric-and-forgetting-the-beatles.html).
People enjoy the art when they know that the artist exhibits an eccentric behavior, so now the society perceives eccentricity as something necessary in creating art. The society consistently labels people: artist as eccentric, scientist as lunatic. For example, there are plenty of artist who dress and act in weird way like Lady Gaga in her meat suit; scientist also have this weird fashion sense that people noticed like Einstein’s strange haircut as if something exploded right in front of him. If society viewed these behaviors in a different way the course of history will change they will not be considered as mad geniuses.
In another article I’ve read “You don’t have
to be Mad” in theguardian.com which was written by Alexander Linklater. The
term “Mad Artist” starts from the two conflicts in the 19th century. First they
romanticized the illness as an inspiration for the artist and then the second
is the less enthusiasm to classify it as a medical condition. The Whitechapel
gallery in London opens an exhibit “Inner Worlds Outside” where criminals,
people with autism, and other genuine outsiders - making no distinction between
the two kinds of artist. And it was shown that there is no distinct connection
between mental illness and creativity.
He said that “Primitivism, naive art, dadaism and surrealism all invoked a realm of
fantastic or unconscious disorder, but it was most particularly in
expressionism that the notion of the mad artist found its modern incarnation.
The pioneers of expressionism were by no means all insane”(
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/healthandwellbeing.art.)
Those artists have a weird and unusual way of expressing
their art. And it should not be questioned whether there only certain group of
people who are allowed to express in a strange way.
II.
Weirdness and Fame
One can say
that the artists’ weirdness is a huge factor to his fame. A lot of artist
nowadays are became known to the public because of their strangeness. It could
be their fashion, their behavior or their art. Most individual thought that
being eccentric will give those advantages such as increased imagination, more
emotional and overpowering energy. The mythology of weirdness and madness as
fuel for creativity or all artists are crazy affects how we view the artists.
Salvador
Dali, one of the most famous surrealists. He was known for his bizarre
techniques on doing his art. He uses automatism as a technique in creating his
work. Automatism is a process where you let your subconscious mind express
through allowing the hand move randomly on the paper. Artists are only limited
by their imagination, but when it comes to art media they can choose whatever
medium appeals to them; it does not necessarily mean paintbrushes and pencils.
It could be anything they want.
In an
article entitled “Explore Unusual Art Forms” written by Chris Dumire. It was
discussed there how the meaning of art is still debated by the professionals,
because of different artist express their art in different way. And before
artists would only express their art on what is available by their time.
Chris Dumire
said “For centuries, traditional art and
craft has stayed within the known boundaries of painting, drawing, sculpture,
and design for utilitarian use.”( http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/art.appreciation.unusual.html).
As people
noticed today, art is not just painting or sculpting artists have now different
techniques in forming their art. As the technology advances the creative
process also advances, the
In another
article “'It's like a cleanse for your body and mind': Vomit Painter artist
throws up on canvas to create Jackson Pollock-style splatter paintings that
Lady Gaga loves” written by Bianca
London. It was discussed there how Millie Brown do her vomit painting; she does
not eat two days before her live art show so that the product has pure color
and does not contain any food.
London also
said “The vomiting visionary began
experimenting with her unique style back in 2005 and has since gained
commercial success by regurgitating onto the dress of pop singer, Lady Gaga, in
a controversial music video.”(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2549351/Its-like-cleanse-body-mind-Vomit-Painter-throws-canvas-create-Jackson-Pollock-style-splatter-paintings-Lady-Gaga-).
Her style in
art had received a mix reviews and reactions some are proud because of her
unique style and some were disgusted by it. Despite the negative reaction of
some people, Brown became famous because of the vomit painting and also, people
got to know her through Gaga’s puke film.
III.
People’s fondness in weird things
Weirdness
always catches the attention of people, maybe on the streets, films and
television shows. The strangeness gives people a sense of rebel that can lead
to excitement.
Being weird
challenges the norm of the society that it makes them uncomfortable and yet
they accept this uneasiness which leads them to questioning themselves.
A. Danger
Some people
like being scared and most do not. People who have fascination in taking the
risk are the extremists who take things to the edge in order to boost their
adrenaline. So when people get scared the brain is flooded with adrenaline,
endorphins and dopamine. So those who like to experience dangerous situations
has this set of mind that when they got over something that is threatening
it’ll boost their confidence.
Allegra
Ringo wrote an article “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” explaining how brains
react to dangerous situations. She also explains that culture is part of the
reason why a specific thing or situation is scary to a person while it is not
to others.
Allegra Ringo said “Lots of people also enjoy
scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it’s
over. Think about the last time you made it through a scary movie, or through a
haunted house. You might have thought, “yes! I did it! I made it all the way
through!” So it can be a real self-esteem boost.” (http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/).
People are
fond of danger because it can give them some sort of glory, if they succeeded
in the said danger. That is why we see some people do dangerous sports like sky
diving, bungee jumping, car racing and others.
In another
article written by Joe Kloc entitled “Fascinated by Fear” it was discussed that
a 44 year old patient “SM” has a rare case of brain in which it makes her not
afraid of anything. And for months they did everything they could to scare her
but nothing works.
Kloc wrote “If the amygdala is functioning properly,
these emotions work together to get us out of trouble—and enable us to enjoy
the occasional gruesome movie. When it is damaged, however, our response can
actually work against our survival, attracting us to the very things we should
be avoiding. As the researchers concluded, “the evolutionary value of fear is
lost.””( http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fascinated-by-fear/).
Amygdala is
responsible for our emotions such as anger and fear as well as memories. So
when people are in a dangerous situation the amygdala sends an automatic
response such as flight response. But to some people their fears are overthrown
by their curiosity so they end up attracted to danger.
B. Obscene
The media is
so powerful that it can make us learn; inspired and educated also it can
corrupt and damage us at the same time. Obscenity is one of those; obscene
pictures make some people feel bad. This is why many societies repress
obscenity, although one should concede that what constitutes obscenity varies
considerably across cultures.
In an
article “What are you doing after orgy” written by Jean Baudrillard, he
explained why people are attracted to pornographic pictures; it is an empty
picture where nothing happens yet people are stimulated by it.
Jean
Baudrillard said “Our obscenity, our
pornography does not stem from sexual lust, it stems from this paralyzed frenzy
of the image. In discussing sex no one can say whether it has been liberated or
not, whether it is being consummated more often now or not, whether the gross
national sexual product has increased or not.”( http://artforum.com/inprintarchive/id=32836).
People who
like seeing obscenity does not necessarily mean they are obsess with sexual
lust. In general aspiration, some sort of collective vertigo of neutralization,
a forward escape into the obscenity of pure and empty form, unintelligible
form, wherein the visible is both lessened and degraded.
In another
article entitle “Art and Obscenity” written by Laura Maguire it was discussed
what people considered obscene. In the end defining obscenity in art is
difficult, unless they categorized the material.
Laura
Maguire wrote “In their role as
subversives, iconoclasts, culture-jammers and agitators, surely artists are
bound to produce work that offends, work that will be called “obscene” by their
peers. If all art ever did was comfort and reassure us, it would fail in an
essential task.” (http://www.philosophytalk.org/community/blog/laura-maguire/2014/06/art-and-obscenity).
Obscenity in
art might offend people in some ways, but then again artists have different
perspective in obscenity; because artists believe that in art there is no
obscenity only creativity. And there are some people who appreciate this kind
of art; if you ask them, they would say that it is not the grossness that they
appreciate it is the concept behind the art.
C. Pain
Pain is an
unpleasant sensation that is triggered by damaged stimuli yet there are some
people who enjoy the pain; instead of treating the pain, some people do more
damage to so they can feel the intensity of pain. This pain can be physical or
emotional or both, but most of the time people much rather enjoy the physical
than endure the emotional pain.
In an
article written by M.Farouk Radwan entitled “Why some people like pain” the
reasons behind the fondness of pain was discussed thoroughly; People like pain
because it makes them feel like hero or because they did not want to feel bad
about their selves that is why the try to endure the pain and suffering.
M.Farouk
Radwan wrote “some people enjoy cutting
their bodies with knifes or harming themselves in a way or another. For the
first instance those people might seem mad but when understanding that physical
pain makes them feel much more in control the riddle is solved. Most of those
people don't have any control over their lives and so they use physical pain to
restore the sense of being in control.”
People who
do self-harm do not mean they are tired of living; they do that because they
want the physical pain to overthrow the emotional pain. Then there are some who
think that it is their punishment when they harm their selves. And then some do
that because it gives them sense of control over their life; they choose to be
in pain.
In article
written by James Gorman entitled “This Is Your Brain on Schadenfreude” he
explained how Schadenfreude works. Schadenfreude is a German word that means
pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. Bullies are the
best example for schadenfreude, they hurt the weaker ones so that it can lift
their confidence. Seeing pain in others and taking pleasure from it means
people are trying make their selves feel better.
James Gorman
wrote “When someone slips and falls on
the ice, celebrities have wardrobe malfunctions and rich people lose money,
your reward center may light up. Sometimes envy inspires schadenfreude”.( http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/science/24side.html?_r=0).
Envy and
jealousy is often the core of schadenfreude and people always possesses those
emotions. Naturally, we feel great when somebody tripped down because of their
hypocrisy or pride. Schadenfreude gives people warm radiance in the coldest
nights especially when they know that the people deserve the pain.
IV.
Conclusion
People have
different fascination in life; these fascinations can affect how they perceive
things. That is why a lot of people take interest in weird art even though the
art itself is not pleasing to the eyes. As for the eccentricity of the artists,
it has no connection with the art; weird artist does not produce better art
than non-eccentric artist, people tend to like the art when it has a great
story behind but, the story has to fit the artist in order for the audience to
give full attention to it.
Chapter III SUMMARY CONLCUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This paper
tried to ascertain the reason behind the interests of people in the art in
which the artist exhibits weird behavior.
The Research
design used in this study is the observational research method wherein the
researcher will collect information substantial information from online
academic journals and articles on interests of people on a weird artist’s art.
All the necessary data will be able to devise an efficient conclusion. The
research findings are the following:
1.
Observation
of the eccentric behavior of an artist has a long history, from Vincent Van
Gogh’s ear lobe cutting to Lady Gaga’s unique fashion
2.
Weird
behavior always catches the attention of the media
3.
There
must be something in the weird art that the people enjoyed seeing, hearing or
feeling.
4.
There
is no denying that most of the artist who became famous exhibits an eccentric
behavior.
Conclusion
1.
People
have taken the liking in the masterpiece if they heard a great story behind it
or if they know that the artists is known for having a unusual way of creating
their masterpiece.
2.
It
created a stereotype in the artist and has come up with the idea that weirder
artists make better art which endangers the other artists who does not exhibit
eccentricity; if he is not crazy enough he is not good enough.
3.
People
tend to like the art when it has a great story behind but, the story has to fit
the artist in order for the audience to give full attention to it.
Recommendation
1.
Art
is the way artists express their selves that appeals to their emotions or
senses. People should understand that artists have different art style and
technique so the comparison between artists will be removed from the mind of
the audience.
2.
Eccentricity
does not necessarily produce better art; people should explore more in the art
world to know that there is no better art.
3.
Non
eccentric artists should not be threatened by eccentric artists for they can
also produce art though in a different manner.
References
Dumire,
C Explore Unusual Art Forms from http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/art.appreciation.unusual.html
Gorman,
J This is your Brain on Schadenfreude from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/science/24side.html?_r=0
Hewett,
I Do weird people make better artists from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10622344/Do-weird-people-make-better-artists.html
Linklater,A
() You don’t have to be Mad from
theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jul/07/healthandwellbeing.art
London,
B It’s Like a cleanse for your body and mind from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2549351/Its-like-cleanse-body-mind-Vomit-Painter-throws-canvas-create-Jackson-Pollock-style-splatter-paintings-Lady-Gaga-
Ringo,
A Why do some brains enjoy fear from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/
Timberg,S()
Are Artists Really Eccentric and Forgetting the Beatles from http://www.artsjournal.com/culturecrash/2014/02/are-artists-really-eccentric-and-forgetting-the-beatles.html
