Why are the greatest artists of all time “crazy”?

By: Rida Jangra 

“Madness comes from God, whereas sober sense is merely human”- The mentioned quote is given by Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher.

There’s a drastic distinction between the art and the artist, similar to the end of a runway show, displaying one of the most eccentric looks. The designer walks on the ramp and at most times, wearing a simple black attire an absolute contradiction to its work. This can be taken as a simple instance.

The world has witnessed immaculate artists, from van Gogh and his paintings to the ethereal writings of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath, whose works have been appreciated through many generations till date and shall forever be. But why is it that ones who were so real, who felt emotions like no other chose not to live lives to their fullest?

If you study the lives of these artists, you’ll notice a commonality in the way their lives ended and its causes. So, does that conclude that to be an artist, you have to be insane? Or is this phenomenon merely incidental?

In my view, when you devote and surrender yourself to something so utterly, to any form of self-expression, you start to lose bits and pieces of yourself. And that are thereafter showcased more in your creation than in the individualistic aspect of your personality. This effect can be compared to that of emptying a utensil and serving the cuisine in a well-decorated dish.

So, in many instances, this link between creativity and insanity can be explained by saying that art is something that is supposed to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.