artcase · MADGE GILL
Photograph from worksby-madgegill.co.
Spiritual messages, by Madge Gill
Madge Gill's works are a testament to the power of spontaneous and spiritual creativity. His drawings, often in large format, reveal an obsession with detail and symmetry, which can be seen as an attempt to order the chaos of his personal life.
The message from Myrninerest
The influence of Myrninerest, the spirit that she claimed guided her hand, is evident in the intensity and passion of her work. Gill believed that her creations were a manifestation of spiritual messages, which adds a layer of mysticism and depth to her art.
BIOGRAPHY
Madge Gill was born Maud Ethel Eades, London.
Her life, marked by adversity, began in a humble home and faced multiple tragedies.
At the age of nine, she was separated from her family and sent to an orphanage, an experience that was to affect her deeply.
The death of one of her sons and complications in her health after the birth of her third child triggered a series of events that led her to explore art as a form of solace and expression.
Gill began drawing, painting and embroidering in 1920, after a series of spiritual experiences. She claimed to be guided by an entity called Myrninerest, a spirit that drove her to create compulsively. This process, which she described as "automatic writing", led her to produce a vast body of work throughout her life.
The influence of Myrninerest, the spirit she claimed guided her hand, is evident in the intensity and passion of her works. Gill believed that her creations were a manifestation of spiritual messages, which adds a layer of mysticism and depth to her art. This spiritual connection allowed her to transform her personal suffering into an inexhaustible source of creativity.
ARTWORK
Repetitive strokes and interwoven patterns
Madge Gill's works are a testament to the power of spontaneous and spiritual creativity. Using modest materials such as ink and pencil on paper, and embroidery techniques, Gill created complex, repetitive patterns that often included large-eyed female figures surrounded by intricate designs. His drawings, often in large format, reveal an obsession with detail and symmetry, which can be seen as an attempt to order the chaos of his personal life.
Photograph from wrldrels.org.
Madge Gill is considered an icon of outsider art for several reasons. Firstly, her life and work exemplify the essence of this movement: artistic creation arising from intense personal experiences, outside the norms and structures of conventional art. Gill never received formal art training or sought external validation; his art was a pure expression of his inner world and spiritual experiences.
HERITAGE
The authenticity of his work, combined with his unique method of creation through "automatic writing"
These characteristics distinguish Madge Gill as one of the most important figures in outsider art. Her work is valuable not only for its aesthetic beauty, but also for what it represents: an act of resistance and self-affirmation in the face of adversity.
Outsider art, as evidenced by the legacy of Madge Gill, challenges us to reconsider our notions of what constitutes "real art".
In Gill's case, her work offers us an intimate insight into his inner world and his relationship with the spiritual.
Rediscovery and appreciation after her death
Her art was rediscovered and appreciated after her death in 1961, and her works have been exhibited in several major galleries and museums, including the Whitechapel Gallery in London and the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Her works, many in ink on paper or embroidery, offer a unique window into her inner world, dominated by female figures in intricate geometric patterns.
This movement foregrounds creativity that emerges from deeply personal, often traumatic experiences, and that develops outside of established art institutions and traditions.
Outsider art stands out for its authenticity, its ability to communicate emotions and experiences in a direct and unfiltered way.
This connection between personal experience and artistic creation is what makes outsider art so powerful and relevant in the contemporary context.
Photographs from mav.org.es.
upcoming ARTCASE
Mapping the time, by George Widener
Widener has an extraordinary ability to process numerical information, which has profoundly influenced his art.
His creations combine mathematics, history, and a fascination with time, with an obsession for numerical patterns and calendars, elements he uses to explore abstract concepts of history and the future.
Widener's work has an obsessive approach to time and numbers. His pieces often resemble riddles in which visual and mathematical representations are mixed, as if each drawing were a codification of historical or future events.
Photograph from Gavin Ashworth NYC.
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