Bruit et fureur, the works of Henry Darger (1892-1973) 

On July 29 2006, I visited the Henry Darger exhibit at La Maison Rouge in Paris, France. The volume of work by Henry Darger at this exhibit was amazing.  In this small contemporary exhibition space, the work was interestingly presented. Most of the work consisted of long panels (approx. 15”H X 40”L). which were framed behind plexiglass to be seen from both sides.

What is truly inspiring the fertile imagination and the dedication of this “self-taught” artist. Although his style is a naïve style, his references are very clearly identifiable. His characters are very consistent, the soldiers uniforms, clothing references, hair, facial expressions, there are details in the drawing without being rendered. 

This is a significant reference for me because, in the classroom, it is difficult to “lead” students to the library or to locations to get “good references”. These days students rely on the internet to get reference material. This is problematic because the resolution on the internet is “fuzzy”.

Another thing I like about Darger’s work is the evidence of his hand; the pencil on the paper, the watercolor, the brutality of the surface. Surface quality is very important for those artists/illustrators who are planning to exhibit in galleries.  There is a lightness to his color palette, the images are “accessable’ because of their honesty.

One has the sense of total enchantment when remarking the paintings of henry Darger. While his drawings are anatomically correct (except for the male genital on the little girls), it is really exciting to see the Confederate soldier engaging in bloody battles with bayonetted rifle toting girl-fairies. Entering the world of Darger means leaving behind “logic” and suspending judgment long enough to appreciate all that you see.

Darger documented all aspects of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, a story about the Vivian Girls attempt to save the children who have been forced into slavery and violently massacred by enemy soldiers. He kept track of all the victories and fatalities and territories conquered. Flags were designed and maps were created. The story ends with the little girls' victory and the return to an idyllic world, a veritable Garden of Eden. 

Henry Darger is an artist who speaks to Illustrators and artists who like to tell stories. Darger continues to influence the work of the new generations, including the Chapman brothers, Paul Chan, Marcel Dzama or Grayson Perry.

Henry Darger is a 20^th century american artist who missed the “art history” books will never be part of mainstream culture or “pop” culture. You can be sure that I will continue to educate my students about Darger with my book titled “Darger” (the Henry Darger Collection at the American Folk Art Museum), my poster of the exhibit and the documentary (film) about his life “In The Realms of The Unreal-The Mystery of Henry Darger”.

This was a great experience and reaffirmed what is difficult to define about image-making. The value of fantasy and good ideas may be rendered in any medium and shall endure time. Use good reference. “Less” is not “more”, “more-is-more”.