The term outsider art was first introduced as the english equivalent of Debuffets term Art Brut. This term meant raw art as it was art that was unadulterated by culture, the works were original and unique and their creators would not see themselves as artists. Art brut is pure visual creation, a spontaneous flow from brain to surface. Outsider art is often the work of children, psychiatric patients and prisoners.
Madge Gill
Born in 1882 in London, Gill was an illegitimate child who’s mother hid her from society for quite some time. At the age of 7 she was sent to a Canadian orphanage until the age of 19. She then was sent to live with her widowed aunt back in England. She married her aunt’s son and had three sons of her own, one of which died at age eight. She also had a daughter who was still born. Gill lost her left eye due to illness, during her recovery she turned to art. She would enter a trance like state to create her drawings. She would work alone and late into the night. Her works contained warped patterns and faces creating a patched up reality.
Bill Traylor
Born around 1853 Traylor was a slave on a cotton plantation. After the civil war he worked as a sharecropper and labourer for the Traylor family. In his 80s Traylor was drawing on the streets when an artist Charles Shannon noticed his work and supplied him with materials to work with. He became a big collector of Trailers work. Traylor’s works are founded on realism depicting mainly people and animals. They are simplistic giving them a primitive feel.
Adolf Wölfli
Born in 1864 in Switzerland, Wölfli was the youngest of seven children. At the young age of 5 his father left leaving his family in extreme poverty. His mother died around three years later. He worked in various farming and labour jobs until he was imprisoned for molestation. He was later placed in an asylum where he spent the rest of his life. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He started drawing nearly four years after being admitted to the asylum, He became consumed with his drawings helping him to become calmer. He would create massive labyrinths of information within his work.
Maeve Dawson Art 