Peter Moog
Encyclopedia
Peter Moog was a schizophrenic outsider art
ist and one of the "schizophrenic masters" profiled by Hans Prinzhorn
in his field-defining work Artistry of the Mentally Ill
.
Moog became a waiter and later a tavern owner, getting married in 1900 to a woman with whom he had three children. Throughout his life, he had been prone to a "loose life style, alcoholism, and sexual excess" (Prinzhorn 1972, p. 144) and had suffered from gonorrhea
. He had his first schizophrenic episode in 1908, shortly after his wife's death in 1907.
His episode convinced him to become a poet, and he drifted from town to town attempting to give lectures and start his own printing press. Six weeks afterward, his relatives finally committed him to an asylum. In the asylum he wrote lewd poetry, starting to paint in 1912. In a surprising contrast to his verses, all of his paintings were of saints and religious images.
The style of his paintings is reminiscent of a stained glass window. Figures are composed of many narrow strips, each decorated with its own ornamental pattern and each of a different color. Moog displays the common outsider horror vacui, filling every space with decoration.
He painted saints in order to atone for his earlier sins, and renounced his earlier lifestyle, equating sexuality with sin and renouncing tobacco and alcohol during his years in the asylum.
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
ist and one of the "schizophrenic masters" profiled by Hans Prinzhorn
Hans Prinzhorn
Hans Prinzhorn was a German psychiatrist and art historian.Born in Hemer, Westphalia, he studied art history and philosophy at the University of Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1908. He then went to England to receive voice training, as he planned to become a professional singer...
in his field-defining work Artistry of the Mentally Ill
Artistry of the Mentally Ill
Artistry of the Mentally Ill was a 1922 book by psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn, and is known as the work that launched the field of psychiatric art...
.
Moog became a waiter and later a tavern owner, getting married in 1900 to a woman with whom he had three children. Throughout his life, he had been prone to a "loose life style, alcoholism, and sexual excess" (Prinzhorn 1972, p. 144) and had suffered from gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
. He had his first schizophrenic episode in 1908, shortly after his wife's death in 1907.
His episode convinced him to become a poet, and he drifted from town to town attempting to give lectures and start his own printing press. Six weeks afterward, his relatives finally committed him to an asylum. In the asylum he wrote lewd poetry, starting to paint in 1912. In a surprising contrast to his verses, all of his paintings were of saints and religious images.
The style of his paintings is reminiscent of a stained glass window. Figures are composed of many narrow strips, each decorated with its own ornamental pattern and each of a different color. Moog displays the common outsider horror vacui, filling every space with decoration.
He painted saints in order to atone for his earlier sins, and renounced his earlier lifestyle, equating sexuality with sin and renouncing tobacco and alcohol during his years in the asylum.
Resources
- Prinzhorn, Hans. Artistry of the mentally ill: a contribution to the psychology and psychopathology of configuration. Trans. Eric von Brockdorff. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1972. ISBN 3-540-05508-8.