"Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner -- the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern." -Andre Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism
I am fascinated by the creative power that mental instability induces in so many "creative geniuses". Its like a stream of unconscious processes running like an impulsive nerve from mind to medium. Spiritual French painter Augustin Lesage (1876-1954) was known to use spirituality as a medium in his work which ultimately erupted in geometric and surrealist symmetrical abstractions, all apparently guided by the voices in his head telling him what to paint and how to do so.
Posts
