Artwork of Homeless People

Many art lovers have discovered the artwork of homeless artists, which comes in diverse styles and themes. The artwork of homeless people gives voice to the outsiders, the poor, the naive, the visionaries, the intuitive, the marginalized, the obsessive, the oppressed, the disabled, the psychotics and the eccentrics. Drawing, paintings, sculptures, collages, dolls, folk art, mixed media work and public art demonstrate the breadth of output.

History

French Pop artist Jean Dubuffet's style was provocative and savage, and inspired him to seek out the creative endeavors of marginalized people. The artists Dubuffet championed were typically homeless, mentally ill or institutionalized. He appreciated their artworks for their immediacy, confrontational themes and lack of a commercial aesthetic. He coined the term "art brut" to classify the work of these artists working outside the mainstream. He described art brut as "those works created from solitude and from pure and authentic creative impulses."

Types

The art of homeless people is often called outsider art. Under the umbrella of outsider art, there are many subcategories. There are the schools of neuve invention and art singulier, referring to artists who have had some interaction with mainstream society. The genre of folk art encompasses traditional craft forms, from dolls to weather vanes. Visionary art or intuitive art typically has spiritual elements and can consist of obsessive repetitive detail. Naive art describes artists who are untrained but market their work via commercial methods.

Expert Insight

Critic Douglas Schuler, in his discussion on the theme of arts of resistance, asserts, "The art of homeless people, refugees, or incarcerated people is likely to present a view of the world that the rest of us may not see." British political figure Liz Jaeger adds that exhibitions of artwork by the homeless provide "people with a better understanding of homelessness." Thus viewers and collectors of artwork by homeless people are privy to a lifestyle often hidden from mainstream society and ignored by the masses.

Considerations

One of the most famous homeless artists was urban pioneer Jean-Michel Basquiat. While homeless, he scoured the streets of New York City, seeking out walls as his canvas for provocative graffiti art. Within 5 years of his creating spray-painted images and cryptic messages, Basquiat rose to international fame. His work was sought after by major collectors, and he was highly regarded by his artist peers, such as Andy Warhol. He led an artistic career of remarkable highs and lows and died of drug overdose at the age of 27. He left behind a legacy of thousands of intuitive-style paintings, collages and drawings.

Benefits

There are a myriad of social agencies and galleries providing artistic training for homeless people and wall space to exhibit their work. Some of these organizations were founded and managed by homeless people, in the interest of giving voice to a population that is often silenced or ignored. Not only do these art exhibits provide a unique glimpse into the lives and souls of homeless people, but the act of creating the artwork is therapeutic for the homeless artists. Many homeless artists use their medium to convey messages of social and personal significance, attempting to reform the society that creates homelessness. Finally, the artworks themselves serve to challenge stereotypes of homeless people and demonstrates how homeless artists can constructively contribute to society.

Resources

• Arts of Resistance website