Blackstock's Collections
If you know me at all, you know I like art books. Another thing I like is collections of things (thus my own art series, Junk Pirate). I also like drawings. Put all these things together and you have the current favorite in my art book collection: Blackstock's Collections.
Published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2006, this book features a huge collection of Gregory Blackstock's drawings of collections of thing. All kinds of things. Divided into thirteen categories such as "Our Famous Birds", "The Noisemakers", "The Vehicles", and "Architectural Collection", then further divided into individual artworks based on specific collections within these categories. Each artwork features anywhere from two to several dozen items within the specific collection, articulately rendered and labeled in pen, pencil, crayon, and sharpie marker. Visual lists. All these objects, with their individual details and subtle differentiations, have been created from memory. Yes, from memory.
You see, Gregory Blackstock is a savant. Savant Syndrome is a remarkable condition in which a person with autism or another developmental disability has some extraordinary genius or ability that stands in stark contrast to their other limitations. Often, if not always, these amazing abilities as coupled with a photographic memory. Coupled with intense motivation and practice, and in Blackstock's case, a supportive family and art community, these amazing abilities have created a body of work that is an amazing document of the world around him, and all of us. From this work Blackstock has been labeled an "anthropologist of the everyday".
Unlike much "Outsider art", Blackstock's work lacks emotion and reveals nothing of an inner, personal world. Remarkably, his success in the art world has motivated him towards more work that is created with the intention of being showcased.
While it is hard to separate any work like this from the exceptional and rare memory talents and patience of its creator, I feel Blackstock's drawings have an appeal much beyond the 'freakshow' aspect. This art would be a nearly impossible thing to create from a normal mind (considering it was made without reference material), but that isn't what makes this work enjoyable. The talent feels genuine, and the drawings are compelling in and of themselves, an aspect I often find lacking in other Outsider art.
Blackstock's Collections has 144 pages in color, plus an essay on the discovery of the artist's work and his first exhibition and an excellent essay of Savant Syndrome as it applies to Blackstock's work. Both essays are enjoyable, educational, and easy to read (a rarity for art book writing these days). It is available at almost every bookstore (find it on Amazon here) with a retail price of $19.95. My own copy of the book is falling apart at the binding, but this is less a testament to shotty craftsmanship than to my own brutish handling of my art books.
an online article about Blackstock by Darold Treffert, MD, who wrote the essay in the book.
Garde Rail Gallery's artist page from Blackstock with other good links
posted by Rowan Morrison at
4:50 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you, Rowan, for your enthusiatic and sensitive review of Greg's book. I'm his cousin and representative, and I wanted to comment on a couple of your observations. First, the prevailing perception that Greg works entirely from memory is not completely correct. He looks at pictures of birds, for example, (and learns as much as possible about their habits, too!)and keeps the librarians hopping printing him photos from websites. HOWEVER, he 'sees' these pictures quite differently from anyone else.
Second, the binding of your book was a production error from the first printing, corrected quickly by Princeton Architectural Press, but there are some bad copies still circulating. You could contact the publisher to see about a replacement.
All the best to you,
Cousin Dorothy
Hey Rowan,
You have listed some fantastic collection of Art Books. Amongst them this is a fantastic collection of the Outsider Art of Gregory Blackstock, a potwasher at the Washington Athletic Club for over 20 years. Blackstock is autistic/artistic savant, draws almost entirely from memory, and curates gorgeous collections of his hand drawn illustrations in this book.
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