Comments on: Wain’s Kalideoscope Cats

By: A cracked mind lets in more light « Jess Faraday

A cracked mind lets in more light « Jess Faraday — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:35:39 +0000

[...] always been fascinated by Louis Wain’s kaleidoscope cats. It’s been argued that the pictures depict Wain’s mental deterioration (he was [...]

By: democratsarefascists

democratsarefascists — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:14:16 +0000

Some of the most intricate artwork ever seen was done by schizophrenics and manic depressives. The subject matter and its depiction are not usually “normal,” in society’s sense of the word, but the product is at a very high level in terms of skill. There is a degree of focus in some patients that borders on OCD. Rules that “must” be followed, or colors that “must” be used. It’s a fascinating subject, just as much as the differing levels of skill in multiple personalities is.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:55:53 +0000

To be fair, humans have been ingesting psychedelic substances long before LSD was synthesized.

By: Dylan Hill

Dylan Hill — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:40:04 +0000

“Who are we to judge, though, that madness is a less valuable state of mind than a sober bean counter’s?”

Exactly.

I think schizophrenia is closer to real ‘sanity’ than most realize. They’ve found the abyss after all – - – - – - -

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:43:17 +0000

How does this exhibit a lack of control? Each painting looks even more fucking complicated then the last.

This is awesome.

By: Janelle

Janelle — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:56:03 +0000

schizophrenia may have some thing to do with motor control, for example, catatonic schizophrenics may suffer from complete physical immobility, where they find themselves stuck in a statue-like position for hours even days. they retain a waxy flexibility and are often completely unaware of their surroundings (catatonic stupor). They also, rather than being unable to move, may move in an uncontrolable excited manner. Causing them to flail their arms, turn in circles, pace in a frenzy or make loud noises. They may also have inappropriate or unusual postures, grimace for long periods or adopt unusual mannerisms. They may also have habits known as stereotyped behaviors, which can include repeating words, obsessively following a routine, or always arranging objects exactly the same way. Thusly explaining his obsessive mannerisms involved in his drawings.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:25:32 +0000

You got trolled Seth – they’re definitely by Louis Wain, painted far before LSD was discovered.

By: seth

seth — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:32:07 +0000

i saw these same pictures about a year ago, only it was detailing the effects of LSD, not schizophrenia.
it was about a man asked to draw a cat once every hour after taking LSD. the first one was a control.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:27:00 +0000

Hi Kate -

One correction, I have read in no papers that LSD leads to permanent degradation of serotogenic pathways. If you aware of any evidence, please forward me the paper or a reference to the PubMed/similar entry.

Are you confusing this with the discredited Ricaute study on MDMA? (ie the one that “accidentally” used methamphetamine instead of MDMA)

By: kate

kate — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:16:40 +0000

Wain had schizophrenia. The reason it looks like an LSD trip (or psilocybin, etc) is because LSD increases the serotonin (5-HT) levels in the brain. Schizophrenia results from having excess dopamine (DA) in the brain, which leads to overstimulation of serotonergic pathways. They result in similar hallucinations, but LSD causes permanent degredation to serotonergic pathways while schizophrenia does not affect the framework, but is only excess neurotransmitter (and can be corrected by blocking the receptors on which DA and 5-HT work.

So really, it IS Wain’s work and he WAS a schizophrenic.