Attached Link: Art under the influence of drugs.

The totally bonkers ones often make the best artists. They think differently from everyone else.

Not impressed, sorry. Also makes me wonder if his drawing style was self-consciously contrived maybe a little. Controlled, self induced outsider art... but not really. you want to see legitimately bonkers (And talented)? look at the works of Adolph Wolfi, or Henry Darger.

*Critique by a former heavy drug user with a degree in fine art.

Bath salts is my favourite of the lot. It looks positively authentic.

I've taken a few of the drugs mentioned. I'm going to guess Primorge is right about most of the pictures though: there's got to be an element of self conscious contrivance. Short of ODing on some of the drugs (such as Trazodone), their effect isn't going to be consciously noticeable, and I wouldn't think it would make much of a difference in the art. I mean, Trazodone will give you dry mouth and a nasty tasting tongue that makes you feel like you haven't brushed your teeth for a couple of days, but otherwise you'd never know you took it.

Perhaps some enterprising fine artist could do a series of self portraits while on a pub crawl. "Look, here's me after a pint of Guiness; and here's me after two pints of Newcastle Brown Ale."

What is there to make us believe he actually took those substances anyway.

Cheers

Quote - What is there to make us believe he actually took those substances anyway.

Cheers

The basic belief that, unless there is evidence to the contrary, it's safe to assume that most people aren't lying?

I'm going to make sure I use the computer duster spray with adequate ventilation now!  :lol:

The fact that the process was actually planned by the artist and you are seeing the results on the internet shows that it's a gimmick.

Now, if he were found dead of an OD clutching a sketchbook in his hand, then maybe...

The 'bath salts' picture is fairly accurate.  Most users of 'bath salts' around here seem to end up jumping in the river from a bridge, after running around the streets naked.   The picture would be a 'bath-salts' user after his 'bath', with creative contributions from fish, snails and bacteria.

"The fact that the process was actually planned by the artist and you are seeing the results on the internet shows that it's a gimmick."

This ^^

Cheers

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People take this stuff too seriously.

Quote - People take this stuff too seriously.

^

This. 

Quote - The 'bath salts' picture is fairly accurate.  Most users of 'bath salts' around here seem to end up jumping in the river from a bridge, after running around the streets naked.   The picture would be a 'bath-salts' user after his 'bath', with creative contributions from fish, snails and bacteria.

LMAO!

I guess it beats attacking people and eating their faces.

Quote - "The fact that the process was actually planned by the artist and you are seeing the results on the internet shows that it's a gimmick."

This ^^

 

What does that have to do with whether or not he actually took the drugs?  It's not just that drugs affect cognitive function, they're more commonly taken for their mood altering properties.  I could do a series of self portraits while listening to various types of music and they would all likely reflect in some way the effect the music had on my mood at the time.  Contrived doesn't equal faked.

I never even heard of some of those.  d00d need a check-up from the neck up IMVHO

Where in my posts did I suggest faked? Just being a little sceptical of the artist's sincerity or use of 'Artistic License'... and in terms of taking it "too seriously", my whole point is that I don't take it seriously at all.

Here's my real critique... his work sucks. Maniacal Laughter.

Quote - LMAO!

I guess it beats attacking people and eating their faces.

Yup, that sort of thing's definitely just way too "avant-garde" for my tastes...

...sounds like Joseph Beuys meets Hannibal Lector... :scared:

(Which, might actually just be something approximating an anarchic version of Günther von Hagens, come to think about it)

I reckon in all honesty, if you gave a monkey LSD and a paint brush, you'd finish up with something far better :)

I wonder if in 20 years or so the "artist" will have paint backs. Still a bit of self publicity never hurt anyone. The drugs he took, well that's a different matter.

I don't think you'd necessarily need to give the monkey the LSD

"

I guess it beats attacking people and eating their faces."

you would be surprised how many psychotic episodes or permanent psychoses are due to illicit drugs.  Not whilst they are high on the drugs either. I'm talking about the after effects ie the damage.  These are not benign substances.

Love esther

Quote - The basic belief that, unless there is evidence to the contrary, it's safe to assume that most people aren't lying?

I'm a bird baby!

Quote - The basic belief that, unless there is evidence to the contrary, it's safe to assume that most people aren't lying?

Occam's Razor?

Or, you could go with the deliberate assumption that most people are simply lying to themselves... never mind anyone else... and work back from there?

He he

"Here's my real critique... his work sucks. Maniacal Laughter."

I would not say the guy has no artistic ability or  he "sucks" in general for Example the drawing  while "under the influence" of  10mg of  "loritab" is quite good IMHO.

What I do question is the implied correlation between these particular chemicals and the artistic rendering styles that allegedly resulted.
It all seems rather contrived to me as other have suggested.

It is not a matter "taking things to seriously"
to be fair when you start a some what off topic thread  with a link to something like this you are by default inviting people to respond with their subjective opinions about the subject matter.

if some of those opinions seem to be ruining the "fun" well thats sort of the natural hazard of
random semi OT threads IMO.

Cheers 

Quote - It is not a matter "taking things to seriously"
to be fair when you start a some what off topic thread  with a link to something like this you are by default inviting people to respond with their subjective opinions about the subject matter.

if some of those opinions seem to be ruining the "fun" well thats sort of the natural hazard of
random semi OT threads IMO.

Cheers 

You are right, of course.  I still think, contrived or not, some of the drawings are pretty interesting.  Not the best artist in the world but far from the worst, too. 

I think the guy is clearly a pretty skilled draftsman, with an awareness of certain outsider / naive / psychedelic art styles.

He'd have to take a lot, of the right sort, of drugs to cover up his ability :biggrin:

But I'm not sure this necessarily matters or somehow detracts.

The whole exercise, as a conceptual piece, seems to be pretty contrived, in essence.

But is that not the nature of conceptual art... it's a cerebral contrivance?

Looking at the drawings individually, I think there's some quite interesting, expressive stuff, there... despite some looking more contrived than others, I guess.

Quote - "Here's my real critique... his work sucks. Maniacal Laughter."

I would not say the guy has no artistic ability or  he "sucks" in general for Example the drawing  while "under the influence" of  10mg of  "loritab" is quite good IMHO.

What I do question is the implied correlation between these particular chemicals and the artistic rendering styles that allegedly resulted.
It all seems rather contrived to me as other have suggested.

Well put. Exactly.

I think he's quite a decent artist and perfectly capable of using artistic tools in a skillful way.

But, yes, I am drawn to question the implication that the artistic mind is so sensitive that a single mild dose of cephalexin (an antibiotic used to treat urinary tract and ear infections) is going to result in double vision, shaky hands, and the inability to draw details or do any sort of shading.

Trying to think of something that is more subjective than the perception of art...

I'd be intrested in seeing what he could do without drugs.

well maybe it wasn't the cephalexin but whatever condition he was prescribed it for, or maybe he took 50 of them. Or maybe he just believed they were having an effect on him.  For the first time in my whole life I think I am going to agree with wolf359

Quote - Trying to think of something that is more subjective than the perception of art...

Perception itself?

EDIT: Oh, hang on... quantitative comparison of subjective subjects... might be more subjective still?

Quote - well maybe it wasn't the cephalexin but whatever condition he was prescribed it for, or maybe he took 50 of them. Or maybe he just believed they were having an effect on him.  For the first time in my whole life I think I am going to agree with wolf359

Since he claims to have taken every single drug, I doubt they were prescribed for a condition, unless that condition was "artist in need of inspiration". I'm not against such  use of drugs, you understand. Many drugs don't work particularly well (if at all) for the conditions they are created to treat, so why not let artists use them? He also states that he took 250mg, the very standard single dose.

My render for BasicWiz's forum comp was completed largely under the influence of a heady mix of paracetamol and ibuprofen, by the way...

...oh and doses of Benylin.

EDIT: Whoops, I hope I'm not disqualified for admitting this

EDIT: Cool... checked the rules... and there are none. It's not the Olympics. Think I'm okay...

I did this selfportrait after one multivitamin tablet.  I'll leave you to guess which one is me.

Love esther

Love esther

Quote - I did this selfportrait after one multivitamin tablet.  I'll leave you to guess which one is me.

Love esther

Do you mean your profile pic Esther??

If so, I'm guessing your the pretty lass that's touting the heavy weaponry? As opposed to the firearm itself... he he

But those multivits can be pretty potent...

Aha...  crosspost.... I see what you're talking about now!

He he...

Maybe you're both of them??? If we're getting metaphysical about it...

:biggrin:

depends on the time of the month I guess.   

Love esther

Quote - depends on the time of the month I guess.   

Love esther

:laugh:

That's an awesome pic, Esther!

I think I should start taking those vitamins, too!

Technically, I'd qualify for making pictures under the influence of chemicals, since I take a veritable cornucopia of medication every day.

It keeps me sane, though.  Ho yus it does, I just get these pains in me head... :-|....

Arf arf bibble hatstand... 

must be some serious hairspray in that hair, though! nice render esther!

@ Monkeycloud... my aren't you clever and cheeky. I would put a winking little emoticon, but I despise that crap. Maniacal laughter!

Quote - @ Monkeycloud... my aren't you clever and cheeky. I would put a winking little emoticon, but I despise that crap. Maniacal laughter!

LOL :lol:

Me too

Hmmm... no maniacal laughter smiley... :huh:

Better get in touch with Snarlygribbly, maybe he can put it into EZSkin. Chuckles. well, sorta jealous chuckles.

I'm thinking of maybe making my own range of smileys now...

...I could make each one to look like it is under the influence of a different ingestible substance!?

Drugs and art... Good subject. I have attended an exhibition on surrealism. Some of the things were really special. i wonder how the artists found their insipirations. 

Toulouse-Lautrec created much of his work after getting cranked on absinthe. But he had great talent and the excuse of constant phsical pain. This self absorbed schmuck appears to have neither.

I think the self absorbed poly-drug abuser has got a bit of talent. too bad he'll probably be dead or brain damaged within 10yrs.

Love esther

I just looked in our fridge.  we have more multivitamins.  Stand by.

Love esther

this is totally me, and totally awesome.