Henry Darger.
Did you ever hear of Henry Darger? Some have claimed that he was the best self-taught artist of the twentieth century. But for the vast majority of the 1900's, virtually no one knew that he existed. Born in 1892 in Illinois, Darger's mother died when he was only four years of age. When he was eight, his father entered a Catholic mission home and he was placed in a boy's home, and later transferred to an asylum for the "feeble-minded" in Lincoln, IL. Apparently a doctor determined that his heart was "not in the right place" (physiologically-speaking). Another early diagnosis involved "masturbation". His experiences in the asylum seems to have influenced his life's work. It involved forced labor and "strange punishments". He escaped and walked the 100 miles to Chicago in 1908. It was on that hike that Darger witnessed the utter destruction of an entire town. He would return extensively to this memory in future years.
During his entire worklife (50 solid years) Darger served as a janitor in a series of Catholic hospitals. He attended church frequently, and mostly kept to himself. He did have one close male friend for a period, with whom he apparently shared an enthusiasm for the protection of children. He tried unsuccessfully to adopt a child on numerous occasions. But at home he had a secret fantasy life. He created an imaginary world called "The Realms of the Unreal". He wrote extensively, completing a 15,000 page book (thought to be the longest novel ever written) about an epic battle between fictional nations. To illustrate his world he collected hundreds of scraps of advertisements and magazines (which he collected among the discarded debris of alleyways), and used them as source material. He painted and collaged on butcher paper, and glued separate sheets together to create pieces over ten feet long. He also wrote 10,000 pages of additional work, including a horror sequel to his magnum opus, and a biography that he expanded into a roughly 5000-page fictional account of a tornado named "Sweetie Pie". He also kept extensive journals and weather logs. He shared his work with no one.
When Darger was 81, he entered the very same Catholic mission home where his father had passed away. Shortly after this, his landlords (who were involved in the arts) discovered his workshop full of his creations. They decided to take charge of his estate after Darger died a few weeks later. They have since worked to publicize his work. Having had the opportunity to view an exhibition of the original watercolor paintings at the Andy Warhol Museum here in Pittsburgh, I feel no small debt to Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner, who have worked tirelessly to expose the work of Darger to the outside world.
The work itself is odd- heavily influenced by children's books written by Frank Baum, Uncle Tom's cabin, and the New Testament. It concerns a holy struggle to end the practice of child slavery through the rescue of a group of young protagonists called the Vivian Girls. The Vivians, and the vast majority of the child slaves in the paintings, are depicted as ordinary (albeit old-fashioned) and sweet little girls with undeveloped male genitalia. This causes a jarring and disconcerting reaction in many viewers. Much speculation has been devoted to Darger's decision to paint the chidren this way. But to focus solely on this aspect is to do an injustice to the artist's vision. Darger went to extraordinary lengths to detail the principles involved in the conflict. He created backgrounds for them, and devised a series of magically hallucinatory creatures to interact with his characters. His compositions are vibrant and colorful. There is some amount of sweetness and light, but the emotional pain that Darger must have experienced throughout his life is plainly evident in his work. There are eviscerations, hangings, torture and strangulations of the children displayed in his work. It is challenging stuff.
In 2004, Jessica Yu made the documentary In the Realms of the Unreal. The director made the interesting choice of animating Darger's paintings, so that the viewer doesn't lose the sense of the size and scope of the work. The effect is well articulated, and contributes to the fantasy elements of Darger's imagery. Instead of using psychoanalysts and academics to deconstruct Darger's works, Yu allows Darger to speak for himself through the use of narrators reading from his various writings. This choice results in an effective immersion for the viewer. Instead of offering speculative answers in attempts to explain this enigmatic artist, Yu's film focuses on articulating Darger's mystery by framing the essential questions. I enjoyed this approach.
During his entire worklife (50 solid years) Darger served as a janitor in a series of Catholic hospitals. He attended church frequently, and mostly kept to himself. He did have one close male friend for a period, with whom he apparently shared an enthusiasm for the protection of children. He tried unsuccessfully to adopt a child on numerous occasions. But at home he had a secret fantasy life. He created an imaginary world called "The Realms of the Unreal". He wrote extensively, completing a 15,000 page book (thought to be the longest novel ever written) about an epic battle between fictional nations. To illustrate his world he collected hundreds of scraps of advertisements and magazines (which he collected among the discarded debris of alleyways), and used them as source material. He painted and collaged on butcher paper, and glued separate sheets together to create pieces over ten feet long. He also wrote 10,000 pages of additional work, including a horror sequel to his magnum opus, and a biography that he expanded into a roughly 5000-page fictional account of a tornado named "Sweetie Pie". He also kept extensive journals and weather logs. He shared his work with no one.
When Darger was 81, he entered the very same Catholic mission home where his father had passed away. Shortly after this, his landlords (who were involved in the arts) discovered his workshop full of his creations. They decided to take charge of his estate after Darger died a few weeks later. They have since worked to publicize his work. Having had the opportunity to view an exhibition of the original watercolor paintings at the Andy Warhol Museum here in Pittsburgh, I feel no small debt to Nathan and Kiyoko Lerner, who have worked tirelessly to expose the work of Darger to the outside world.
The work itself is odd- heavily influenced by children's books written by Frank Baum, Uncle Tom's cabin, and the New Testament. It concerns a holy struggle to end the practice of child slavery through the rescue of a group of young protagonists called the Vivian Girls. The Vivians, and the vast majority of the child slaves in the paintings, are depicted as ordinary (albeit old-fashioned) and sweet little girls with undeveloped male genitalia. This causes a jarring and disconcerting reaction in many viewers. Much speculation has been devoted to Darger's decision to paint the chidren this way. But to focus solely on this aspect is to do an injustice to the artist's vision. Darger went to extraordinary lengths to detail the principles involved in the conflict. He created backgrounds for them, and devised a series of magically hallucinatory creatures to interact with his characters. His compositions are vibrant and colorful. There is some amount of sweetness and light, but the emotional pain that Darger must have experienced throughout his life is plainly evident in his work. There are eviscerations, hangings, torture and strangulations of the children displayed in his work. It is challenging stuff.
In 2004, Jessica Yu made the documentary In the Realms of the Unreal. The director made the interesting choice of animating Darger's paintings, so that the viewer doesn't lose the sense of the size and scope of the work. The effect is well articulated, and contributes to the fantasy elements of Darger's imagery. Instead of using psychoanalysts and academics to deconstruct Darger's works, Yu allows Darger to speak for himself through the use of narrators reading from his various writings. This choice results in an effective immersion for the viewer. Instead of offering speculative answers in attempts to explain this enigmatic artist, Yu's film focuses on articulating Darger's mystery by framing the essential questions. I enjoyed this approach.
posted by Merge Divide at 7:48 PM
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