LSD art is any

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

or visual displays inspired by psychedelic experiences and

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

s known to follow the ingestion of

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

(lysergic acid diethylamide, also known colloquially as acid). Artists and scientists have been interested in the effect of LSD on drawing and painting since it first became available for legal use and general consumption. LSD causes visual hallucinations, audiovisual

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with sy ...

, and experiences of de-realisation. These effects provide inspiration for artists, who may illustrate their hallucinations.

History

LSD art dates back to the 1960s, where it became very common as well. The drug became so popular, that some countries started banning the substance in 1967. A French artist by the name of Henri Michaux, was considered "a pioneer in psychedelic art". Michaux experimented with LSD while creating his now famous book, 'Miserable Miracle', which included both his writings and drawings. Many artists realised how LSD could also positively influence their artwork, which is why it was so popular throughout the 1960s. Dr. Oscar Janiger was one of the pioneers in the field studying the relationship between LSD and

creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...

. What fascinated Janiger was that "paintings, under the influence of LSD, had some of the attributes of what looked like the work done by schizophrenics". Janiger maintained that trained artists could "maintain a certain balance, riding the edge" of the LSD induced psychosis, "ride his creative

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

". Janiger coined the term '"dry

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

," where a person was able to control the surroundings and yet be "crazy" at the same time'. Many artists and their surviving relatives have kept LSD artwork from this period. One patient of Dr. Janiger, bipolar and

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

artist Frank Murdoch, was given a controlled, experimental dose of LSD for several months as an attempt to cure his late stage alcoholism. Janiger had Murdoch paint still-lives both on and off LSD, including a

Kachina A kachina (; Hopi language, Hopi: ''katsina'' , plural ''katsinim'' ) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo people, Native Americans in the United States, Native American cultures located in the south-western part of the Unite ...

doll (that he reportedly had 70 other patients also paint). Murdoch also continued to paint as an artist while on LSD, including most of his underwater paintings. In the Netherlands, Dr.

Stanislav Grof Stanislav Grof (born July 1, 1931) is a Czech-born American psychiatrist. Grof is one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology and research into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of psychological hea ...

practiced psycholytic therapy in the 1980s, which included having his patients paint on LSD. Some of his artist patients painted numerous paintings while on LSD.

Psychedelic artists

* Pablo Amaringo *

Brummbaer Brummbaer was a German digital artist who has done work as an art director, designer, graphic artist, and 3D modeling software, 3D modeler. As an actor, he has appeared in various German TV movies, and also produced and directed. In the latter pa ...

Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His ...

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American artist who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American c ...

* Roger Dean * Warren Dayton * Karl Ferris *

The Fool (design collective) The Fool were a Dutch design collective and band in the psychedelic style of art in British popular music in the late 1960s. They worked closely with The Beatles in London, painting George Harrison's Mini car, John Lennon's piano and a three s ...

* Ernst Fuchs *

H. R. Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". He was part of the special effects team that won ...

* Alex Grey * Rick Griffin * John Hurford *

Alton Kelley Alton Kelley (June 17, 1940 – June 1, 2008) was an American artist known for his psychedelic art, in particular his designs for 1960s rock concert posters and album covers. Along with artists Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso ...

Mati Klarwein Abdul Mati Klarwein (9 April 1932 – 7 March 2002) was a German painter best known for his works used on the covers of music albums. Personal life Mati Klarwein was born in Hamburg, Weimar Republic. His mother Elsa Kühne was an opera sing ...

* Peter Max * Henri Michaux * Stanley "Mouse" Miller * Victor Moscoso *

Gilbert Shelton Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', '' Fat Freddy's Cat'', and '' Wonder ...

John Van Hamersveld John Van Hamersveld (born September 1, 1941, Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an Americans, American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands from the 1960s onward. Among the 300 albums are the ...

* Robert Venosa *

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Architecture * Train %26 Williams#Robert Edmund Williams, Robert Edmund Williams (1874–1960), Canadian-American architect * Robert Williams (architect) (1848–1918), Welsh architect a ...

* Wes Wilson

References

External links

Acid Trip

Blotter Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lsd Art Visual arts genres Psychedelic art

History

Psychedelic artists

See also

References

External links