LSD art

Drawing made under the effects of LSD. Dr. Oscar Janiger noted similarities between paintings made under the influence of the drug and those made by schizophrenics.

Artists and scientists have been interested in the effect of LSD on drawing and painting since it first became available for legal use and general consumption.[1] Dr. Oscar Janiger was one of the pioneers in the field studying the relationship between LSD and creativity. What fascinated Janiger was that "paintings, under the influence of LSD, had some of the attributes of what looked like the work done by schizophrenics".[2] Janiger maintained that trained artists could "maintain a certain balance, riding the edge" of the LSD induced psychosis, "ride his creative Pegasus".[2] Janiger coined the term '"dry schizophrenia," where a person was able to control the surroundings and yet be "crazy" at the same time'.[2]

Many artists and their surviving relatives have kept LSD artwork from this period. One patient of Dr. Janiger, bipolar and alcoholic artist Frank Murdoch,[3] was given a controlled, experimental dose of LSD for several months as an attempt to cure his late stage alcoholism. Janiger had Murdoch paint still-lives both on and off LSD, including a Kachina doll (that he reportedly had 70 other patients also paint). Murdoch also continued to paint as an artist while on LSD,[4] including most of his underwater paintings.[5]

In the Netherlands, Dr. Stanislav Grof practiced "LSD Psychotherapy" in the 1980s, which included having his patients paint on LSD. Some of his artist patients painted numerous paintings while on LSD.[6]

See also

Psychedelic artists

References

  1. ↑ P.G. Stafford and B.H. Golightly. LSD — The Problem-Solving Psychedelic.
  2. 1 2 3 David Jay (2003). Oscar Janiger.
  3. ↑ Lynn Svensson (2006). Looking For Frank Murdoch: The LSD Experiments.
  4. ↑ Lynn Svensson (2006). Looking For Frank Murdoch: LSD pages.
  5. ↑ http://frankmurdoch.net/quietplace.aspx
  6. ↑ Stanislav Grof (1980). Tripscapes: LSD Art From Stan Grof's Psychedelic Epic – LSD Psychotherapy.

External links

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