THE RELATIONSHIP OF MENTAL ILLNESSES WITH CREATIVITY AND PAINTING: THE EXAMPLE OF LOUIS WAIN

PSİKOLOJİK HASTALIKLARIN YARATICILIK VE RESİM SANATI İLE İLİŞKİSİ: LOUIS WAIN ÖRNEĞİ

Abstract

The concept of creativity, which finds varying explanations in the literature, is defined in numerous ways across various disciplines. From a psychological perspective, this concept has been linked to artists’ inner worlds, their environments, periodic conditions, social values, epidemics, wars, gender, and the psychological problems of some artists. Studies on the relationship between mental illnesses and creativity, particularly in the field of art, reveal remarkable findings. In this context, Louis Wain, who is alleged to have suffered from a mental illness, is the focus of this study. Changes observed in the artist’s works over time provide significant indicators of how his mental illness affected his artistic production. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of mental illnesses on artistic production and to evaluate the stylistic changes in Louis Wain’s paintings as a concrete example. This article was prepared using qualitative research methods, using literature review, and explores the relationship between creativity and mental illnesses, along with data from the literature on the concept of creativity. Furthermore, this relationship is examined within the framework of the discipline of painting; the transformations observed in Wain’s work offer clues to a possible connection between mental disorders and creativity.