Artists

Alex Doolan's "Call 911!," 2011, Acrylic, oil and graphite on canvas, 72 x 96

In one of my writing classes today, we discussed whether or not an artist has to be tortured in order to make truly wonderful art. Some said yes. Some said no.

Names that came up: Truman Capote, Fanny Howe
Names that I thought of as the discussion went on: David Foster Wallace, Diane Arbus, Mary Karr, Marlon Brando

The question of causation versus correlation comes up. Do tortured people tend to gravitate toward art? Does making art and committing oneself to the production of art (which in turn requires intense critical evaluation) cause trauma? Does a tortured person produce better writing, canvases, performances?

People always say that comedians tend to be dark people.

But as an artist, I'd like to think that one need not be traumatized in order to be great. For logistical reasons.

Diane Arbus' Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City (1962)