What is Outsider Art?

Other than a movement used to refer to the artworks, artifacts, and sculptures with motifs and designs similar to the ‘Primitive Art’ of indigenous natives, the term ‘Primitivism’ is also used to refer to any form of art created by artists that were self-taught and unaware of the usage of conventional motifs in their art due to not being and educated in institutional form of art. The term outsider art is also the English translation of the French term ‘art brut’ which literally translates to ‘raw art’. This points to these art pieces being far less refined than their contemporaries.

The motifs that these artists feature, therefore, were quite unconventional and experiential. This led to them being markedly different from the artists that used conventional styles and traditional motifs such as the linear perspective and chiaroscuro, which refers to the contrasting light and dark tones used in art. Since these artworks were rather simplistic and superficial in nature, they were also called ‘Naive art’. 

What Characterizes Naive or Outsider Art?

Lack of Contact with Institutionalized Forms of Art

Since the artists of these artworks were mostly self-taught, they had little to no contact with the institutionalized forms of art, including the motifs and techniques that their contemporaries used.

Lack of Formal Education or Training

Most of these artists were uneducated and came from a poor or marginal background, which made them remain unknown throughout the majority of their lives. The Irish Painter, James Dixon, for instance, only began painting when he turned 72!

Use of Child-like imagery

Unlike the works of conventional artists, these artists created artworks that were far less refined and featured childish imagery and motifs. Instead of the fineness and sophistication of art, their pieces gave off a feeling of rawness and purity.

Unconventional

Another primary characteristic of these works was that they were outside the norm. They dared to experiment with nature and forms of producing art, and as such, were quite revolutionary in spirit and nature.

Famous Outsider Artists and Artworks