"Probably he had them to use as company, as he was childless"

[my_daroga]

Comments

[my_daroga]

There probably are; I mean, how much of this stuff do we never hear about?

[my_daroga]

I think there are lots of factors that decide whether we ever see something like this. A confluence; I wonder, if someone like Darger had had a family, if some of this would have been considered "normal" for him and therefore not considered important or interesting.

[lettered]

Wow. This is a really cool story. I mean, the story about the guy himself, and the way you told it. The pictures are cool enough--I want to know the stories that go with them--but the fact that he created this whole world himself, like you said. That casts the pictures in a new light. Or, in more light. Just the thought of someone doing this--it's like looking straight into someone's mind.

Which of course is what art is but the art we see is so often made with an intent to share. Instead, these seem so instesely private.

Thanks for the edumacation...I'm going to find out more about this guy.

[my_daroga]

You're welcome. I have "trouble" getting into things aesthetically; like music, it takes awhile. I actually really upset myself writing this last night. It was like I finally made the shift from intellectual to being in that world, and it made me sad. I could finally feel the images rather than think my way through them.

[my_daroga]

Exactly. It just takes me longer to "read" pictures.

[cdaae]

I've been meaning to get hold of that documentary!

[my_daroga]

There are some things I don't like about it (they, uh, animate the drawings they show you. It's weird) but it's definitely a useful intro.

[my_daroga]

There's a lot of "streamlining" that goes on in formal education, where you're told to make your lines a certain way or use words just so. Some people get *past* that and back into something original. Mr. Daroga has a maxim from an art teacher in high school that he's expanded into, basically, "if you do something oddly, maybe even poorly, exploit it to its full effect." So, like, make my poor figure drawing work for me, so when I draw comics I'm forced by my lack of skill to find other ways to tell my story. It's not perfect, but any time you are forced to find a way to do something without the "ability" to do it the "right" way, you chance coming up with something wholly new.

The fact that he was doing it for himself, as well, makes it intriguing.

[my_daroga]

Those are fantastic thoughts on this. Thank you. Part of art must be the demonstration of beauty in the mundane; by definition, anything "real" is mundane. I love seeing something familiar as if for the first time.

[cionaudha]

You have just made my entire week. :-) I hope they're publishing a full-color, lavishly illustrated exhibit catalogue! *grabby hands* (Is that the cover of one I see there?)

Fantastic stuff, in every sense. The battle scenes! Wow! It's all so vivid.

God bless the innocent savants, for they make better art than 97% of trained artists.

[my_daroga]

There are a couple books out there, though of course nothing can do justice to a 9 foot canvas, no matter how many times you unfold it! I'm glad I could bring him to your attention. There's something really arresting about his compositions.