Creativity And The Mad Genius - 1765 Words

Creativity and the Mad Genius On July 2, 1961, Ernest Hemingway put a gun to his head. Seventy-one years earlier, on July 29, 1890, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the abdomen while painting a wheat field. Robin Williams hung himself on August 24, 2014, less than two centuries after Vincent van Gogh. Along with Ludwig von Beethoven, who died of natural causes in 1827, four of the greatest creative minds each suffered from bipolar disorder, depression, or epilepsy, usually suffering from other physical ailments as well. Ernest Hemingway was the only one to seem to have a genetic disposition towards mental illness. None of these men led similar lives. Van Gogh only saw one of his paintings sold, while Beethoven was an acclaimed composer by the age of twenty-nine. Hemingway was friends with some of the greatest literary minds of the day, and Robin Williams was one of the most successful comedians to date. The common link, besides their mental illnesses, is the idea that each of these men were searching for somethin g more within their respective arts. Four fields of fine arts that require the constant creation of something new claimed the lives of four men who gave it all they had, some losing, and some finding themselves along the way. Over the past sixty years, facts about depression and the reality of it have come to light; however, there are still negative stigmas concerning the mental illness and how people ought to endure through the pain. Despite these negativeShow MoreRelatedI Am A Mad Genius982 Words   |  4 PagesA mad genius: a person that has an extraordinarily high IQ, and is often overly â€Å"eccentric†. Scientists, and historians have been debating for years if there is a link between madness, and intelligence. Many Scientists have been proclaimed as a â€Å"mad genius.† This list includes Nicola Tesla, who is â€Å"the man that created the 20th century.† While he may be extremely intelligent, â€Å"he suffered from an extreme case of OCD, and germephopia. He also would refuse to touch anything round† (Bayne) . Tesla isRead MoreA Brilliant Madness about John Forbes Nash Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pagescreative genius. Indeed, research has proven that the two conditions o f psychology display similar characteristics, both behaviourally and genetically. Unfortunately, this subject remains quite ambiguous, and science may never fully grasp the concept (Griffith 626; Ludwig 5; Simonton; Neihart). Although it lacks in hard facts, many compelling theories arise from this field of study: a little madness may bolster creative genius, but too much madness can overpower the creativity and kill the genius. TheRead More Alice in Wonderland Essay1250 Words   |  5 PagesAlice takes from both sides, now able to change her size when she wants. She goes to a house in the woods and the Duchess gives Alice her baby. Outside, the baby turns into a pig and runs away. The Cat sitting on the branch tells her where to find a Mad Hatter and a March Hare. Alice joins them for tea and time stands still. During the tea party, the mouse falls asleep while telling a story and they are all rude to Alice, so she leaves. A beautiful garden is before her and it is the Queenâ€⠄¢s croquetRead MoreThe Correlation between Creativity and Madness1594 Words   |  7 Pageslies a link between creativity and madness and the association stems from the need of an unconventional thought process to spark creativity and biological factors surrounding the brains of both creative individuals, and mentally ill patients. Could it be Madness? 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(1) The link between madness and creativity is one that has been hotly debated in both medical and literary circles for a long time. The two most common types of mental illness theorized to be an influence on creative people such as writers, artists, and poets were schizophreniaRead MoreInferno - Dan Brown1253 Words   |  6 PagesBrown’s intelligence in which way he relates these true facts to his thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you’re done with the book! The book opens with the suicide of famous genetic engineer Bertrand Zobrist, a scientific genius who jumps to his death from a historical building in Florence. After a few days, eminent Harvard Symbologist, Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed in Florence, with mild amnesia, no recollection of where he is or how he got there. A killer immediatelyRead More Eccentric Artists and Mad Scientists Essay5055 Words   |  21 PagesCreativity and Irrational Forces: Eccentric Artists and Mad Scientists Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence--whether much that is glorious--whether all that is profound--does not spring from disease of thought--from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect. Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night - Edgar Allen Poe Imagination is moreRead MoreThe Raven By Edgar Allan Poe964 Words   |  4 Pagesbefore† this represents opium use, as opium is a dark purple, heavy-scented addictive drug.. In â€Å"Soldier Poe† (p. 329), Philip Beidler points out that â€Å"In biographical legend Poe is remembered as a tortured aesthete, a solitary, unrecognized, romantic genius, adrift in a cash-and-carry society; less flatteringly he is recalled as a drunkard, an opium addict, a wastrel, a philanderer.† Opium causes hallucinations, which caused Poe to believe that the raven was talking to him and taunting him. Also, opium