Bosch schizophrenic?

[Doug Alan <nessus>]

> From: hsut@purdue-ecn.ARPA (Tsun-Yuk Hsu)

> I have seen the Time-Life book "The Mind" where the theory of Bosch's
> schizophrenia has been proposed. Apparently, mental patients with
> different ailments produce art reflecting their problems, and
> schizophrenics like to draw lots of little figures running around
> doing demented things.

These psychology people are just plain silly.  Art is a study of the
human mind.  Thus many artists (the ones I like the best, in fact) try
to tap the subconscious mind and present its images in a viewable or
hearable (etc.) form.  Someone who is schizophrenic can't differentiate
reality from images generated by the subconscious mind.  Good artists
can differentiate, they are just fascinated with images created by the
subconscious mind.  So it seems likely that a good artist is going to be
fascinated with the images that a crazy person thinks are real.

I don't think the works of such an artist should be called "demented",
though, because being demented is thinking that such images are real
rather than thinking that they are an interesting an enlightening
reflection on reality.

			"We let the weirdness in"

			 Doug