Thoughts on the Psychology of Art: Abstract Art Is a Psychotic Break with Reality

Norman Rockwell, The Connoisseur, 1961
Norman Rockwell, The Connoisseur, 1961

The most important part of being a visual artist is the artist’s eye. How the artist sees, how they perceive the outside world. It is not the only thing that matters in art: imagination, stylization, emotion, and themes drive it as well. A relevant aspect of psychosis is that it is a person’s break with reality—they cannot distinguish reality from emotion, thought, or hallucination. Abstract art is delusional on an epic level, as well as hypocritical. It is delusional because the content has nothing to do with reality, unless, like a variation of Plato’s Cave, the artist is facing a wall and has never seen anything else. And hypocritical because the visual artist is supposed to be a visual artist and show us how magnificent our eyesight is, instead they are anti-vision. It is like substituting a surgeon for a killer.

It is weird how elementary school teachers embrace and promote abstract art, not having a clue that they are indoctrinating children to embrace a disconnect to realty. Unwittingly, they are aesthetic pedophiles, destroying the a child’s ability to perceive and master seeing the world around them, thereby blocking their ability to flourish.

Michael, Idyllwild, April 19, 2022

Frame of References:

Tulkin, David. Aristotle’s Theory of Sense Perception. PDF 16-pages. https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=episteme

Graham, Karen, MD, Psychiatrist. What to Do if a Family Member or Friend Has Psychotic Symptoms. “Psychosis is a mental state characterized by a break from reality, and it can include delusions or hallucinations.” Graham offers a helpful guide about seeing psychosis in a loved one. https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/what-to-do-if-a-family-member-or-friend-has-psychotic-symptoms/

Interaction Design Foundation. What is Visual Perception? https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/visual-perception

3 Replies to “Thoughts on the Psychology of Art: Abstract Art Is a Psychotic Break with Reality”

  1. If all you have is this external manifestation you have little need for yourself.

    There is no profit in being redundant.

    1. Thank you for your comment. However, it seems you may have misunderstood the depth of my original post. I explicitly stated that the artist’s eye is not the only thing that matters in art, and I went on to discuss the importance of imagination, emotion, and themes in driving artistic expression. Additionally, my reference to psychosis, due to a break with reality, is not a reliable guide for enlightening our entire being.

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