Dark

Light

the tortured artist

To depict the pervasive dangers of the ideal of the tortured artist, an aestheticized sorrowful, muted blue-toned illustration shows a portrait of Sylvia Plath, who died by suicide, in a frame placed next to flowers and manuscripts.

The Tortured Artist Is a Dangerous and Damaging Stereotype

Kelsi Karpinski, Michigan State University

Society tells us that the most beautiful art is born out of suffering — a potentially life-threatening lie.…

August 28, 2021