« The ElectriClerk | Main | Other Gods » January 14, 2003

Outsider Art

Outside Art is a hazy term. It's art by people who often don't think of themselves as artists. Outsider artists are often rural, mostly untrained, sometimes mentally disturbed, and all eccentric and unique.

Outside Art got a bad name in the 90s because it became the hot new investment property for gallery and collector weasels looking for The Next Big Thing. However, in the rush to hate the process that marketed the art like Big Macs, the art itself kind of got bumped off the map.

This is too bad. Outsider art, whether you like the term or not, is a wonderful thing to behold. In a world where most artists are easily identified and categorized by their styles and influences, outsider artists remain apart. What makes the work so interesting is that it's often seems to have formed entirely in the untrained artist's head with no outside influence at all. At least nothing farther away than, say, the local church or the borders of their rural county. The best outsider art remains worthy stuff by talented eccentrics who want nothing more than to show you how remarkable the world looks through their eyes.

http://outsider.art.org
http://www.rawvision.com

Posted by Kadrey at January 14, 2003 05:53 PM

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