Between Madness and Art

Overview

What is the link between psychological states and the creative process? Is there a relationship between psychosis and the artistic impulse? What can art works produced by mental patients tell us about artistic genius? Can art therapy be helpful in the treatment of the mentally ill? BETWEEN MADNESS AND ART examines these issues through the story of Dr. Hans Prinzhorn. As Director of the Heidelberg Psychiatric Clinic in the 1920s, he was fascinated by the beauty and expressiveness of the drawings, paintings and sculptures of his schizophrenic patients. He began to study and preserve this art. In its examination of the relationship between mental states and the creative urge, BETWEEN MADNESS AND ART raises serious questions about our current definitions of both art and illness.