Outsider Art 101

10/22/2012

Outsider Art 101

Have you heard the term "outsider art"? It's synonymous with "amateur art" and similar to "folk art". It describes artwork that's created by untrained individuals who aren't intentionally producing wacky creations, but that's pretty much how they turn out. According to Outsider Art Info, it's "Art From Outside The Art World."

When I first learned about outsider art back in the 1980's, people were into collecting "prisoner art", an offshoot of outsider art. Distasteful as it sounds, certain famous criminals like serial killer John Wayne Gacy were selling the paintings they created in prison. Gacy's favorite subject was clowns, as if clown haters need another reason to dislike them.

Perhaps inspired by the movie "Harvey", I think this painting of a man and his bolo-tie wearing rabbit friend typifies "Outsider Art" perfectly:

Image credit: ShopGoodwill.com

I'd like to know the story behind this one. Perhaps a man approached the woman and said "I'm an artist. Have you ever thought of modeling?" And before she knew it, she was nude modeling......

A monkey wearing a crown in a very regal frame:

Photo Credit: ShopGoodwill.com

And the monkey is wearing a dress. And earrings.....

Photo Credit: ShopGoodwill.com

Someone really loved David Bowie, and spent some serious time creating this painting with unintentionally bizarre results:

Image Credit: Insider Outsider Art

Why not have some little kids do artwork and call it outsider art? Well, you can tell the difference because of the attempts at color mixing, brush work, and in the case of our nude model, (hopefully) the subject. Little kid art isn't the same as outsider art.

Portraits are frequent topics for outsider artists and the probably the most popular for outsider art collectors. Let's look at the example below. It's just bad enough to be good, and that's the charm of it!

The artist of this pastel drawing was skilled enough to convey some emotion in his subject, yet the face is strangely contorted:

Photo Credit: Americana Auctions

There's definitely some emotion in this pastel portrait too. This woman has a sly grin, doesn't she?

eBay seller Metrolux sells her own art, such as the painting below:

I have this "hobo jungle" painting for sale in my "Mantiques" booth at the Livingston Antique Outlet in Howell, Michigan. It reminds me of the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain":

A charcoal rendering of Mark Twain that my picker found for me:

Values for outsider art would be based on whatever the buyer is willing to pay, pretty much. If the item has a nice frame, that would add to the value as well.

Of course sculpture and other media could fall under "outsider art" too, and I've only shown wall art. So far, what do you think?

Mitzi

Oct 22, 2012 6:03:14 AM | Mitzi's Antiques 101 Series

6 Comments

I didn't know it was called "Outsider" art but I like it. Not the really wacky stuff but some of it, like the one in your shop, is fun and interesting. I always wonder about the person who created it. I especially like bright floral pictures.

Posted by: Annette | 10/22/2012 at 12:46 PM