Creating art while imprisoned has been found to be good for the mental health of the prisoner. It has been learned that the act of creating reduces stress, allows for an emotional outlet, improves self worth, encourages creative thinking, and provides a sense of self worth and accomplishment. Art helps the prisoner become more humane and authentic by allowing them to open up and express feelings that they can't vocalize.
Charles Manson was a
prolific artist working in various mediums during his 50+ plus years in prison
this time around.
Art is very subjective to
both the artist and the viewer. What one person thinks is absolutely fabulous
another will think it is garbage. There are artists who never saw fame in their
lifetime, only to be revered after death.
Piet Mondrian was a Dutch
painter who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century for
his paintings of precise blocks of color on canvas back in the 20s, 30s and 40s
and it wasn't until the 60s that his work was celebrated. I totally do not
understand Mondrian's popularity. It's just not for me.
Andy Warhol, who was very
popular during his lifetime, made a name for himself by taking everyday objects
and making them larger than life. Today one can go to a good photo editing site
and replicate what Warhol did with his 1967 Marilyn Monroe screen prints, for
instance, in just a few minutes with their own photos.
Abstract art is even more
subjective.
I am not going to say that
one day Manson will be celebrated as one of this century's great artists but
his art does have an appeal.
I suppose that if one were
to look at Charles Manson's art chronologically that they might see a
progression of self-awareness and growth. Chaotic periods of angst and
frustration might be identified as well as good times and satisfaction.
Manson's art might be the only measure of his true self.
This past summer George
Stimson created a one-day pop-up exhibit of Charles Manson's artwork. Pieces by
Sandy and Lynette were also featured. George decided to film the exhibit and
present it as a 3D offering. The video is like one of those 3D house tours that
you see on real estate websites. It takes a moment to get the hang of it. I
found the best way to view each piece was to follow the circles on the floor
and then use your cursor to make your way up to the art piece. You can get
pretty close to each piece.
The show is comprised of
artworks from three different collections.
The string art was made in
the 70s, 80's and 90s. The paintings were done in 1994 and 1995.
George told me a little bit
about obtaining materials and what materials were used in his pieces. "
The string art was made with anything he could use. That would include
underwear, socks, and other clothing threads but also anything else he could work
with. Blue remembers sending him socks that were specifically for making
dolls. Some of the scorpions and parts of A Mac Eggus were made with toilet
paper."
George heard that Charlie
learned how to make the dolls from a woman he knew while he was in Mexico.
When Charlie was not in the
Security Housing Unit (SHU) he could receive art supplies from an approved
vendor. "The mediums he used were acrylic, pen and ink, colored pencils,
clay, papier mâché, fabric, food coloring, and little scraps of this and that
that he worked into his pieces."
Manson did not participate
in any prison art classes, he generally worked on his art in the common areas
or outside.
I asked George what the
inspiration was for his art work. This is what he replied.
He said that he was trying
to do art that was different. And he certainly did!
Here’s how he described the
thoughts behind the large hanging doll, A. Mac Eggus :
And below he talks about the
painting The Purple Turkey, which is based on an experience he had in school
when a teacher derided him for doing a drawing of a purple turkey. As Lyn
Fromme recalled in Reflexion:
We were talking about
artwork when Charlie said that his first grade teacher had criticized his
painting. He looked dejected. Mary and I laughed.
“No, really,” he said,
half-really. “She put her nose in the air and said in front of the class, ‘Now,
Charlie, everyone knows that TURKEYS are NOT PURPLE.’”
He said that was the last
time he tried to draw or paint.
Manson on The Purple Turkey:
“When you see this next picture you’re really gonna like it, I think. Everybody else likes it. That’s what I call it, The Purple Turkey. It’s really, it should go down in history. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. And I’ve looked at a lot of art. It’s close to a Braque. But Braque would probably laugh at this one. I don’t have any talent. This is pure, pure doodle.... It’s a lot of time, and a lot of little delicate things in it, just for something to do. I don’t have any talent, man. Did you ever see some of the stuff that Beausoleil does? That’s talent. Beausoleil has talent.
“What I do is, I paint the
background in the glow-in-the-dark stuff. And then I come in with the
lithographic pens, and I paint over that. Then when I put it in like a shadowy
light? It jumps out at you. It don’t look cheap, like a lot of that glow-in-the-dark
stuff looks kind of cheap, you know. I’m trying to look into something like a
different kind of perspective.... What I’m trying to do there, I’m trying to
make things that are not identifiable with anything else. I don’t want to make
it look like something. I’m trying to make it look like nothing.”
Here's the link to George’s
website and the 3D art tour.
