Dzikusi, barbarzyńcy, maniacy, szaleńcy. O społecznym wykluczeniu artystów w XIX i XX wieku

Alicja Rybkowska in the chapter Savages, Barbarians, Maniacs, Lunatics. On the Social Exclusion of Artists in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century deals with causes and consequences of the social exclusion of artists at the turn of the aforementioned centuries This exclusion is presented as having stemmed mainly from the academic theory of art and the academic practices, such as The Salon (Salon de Paris)—an official annual art exhibition of the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. Dominating model of creation, enforced by the artistic academies, led to social exclusion of those artists who did not want to yield to it. Through insults and words of condemnation the critics aimed at removing all the innovators and rebels from the sphere of public interest. However, those artists are at the same time the ones who gained most popularity and esteem in the later decades. This raises a question about the role of the social and economical exclusion of artists in shaping new styles and movements. The attempt at answering this question is based here on the discussion of the historically changing situation of the artists in the society, with a particular emphasis on the changes, which took place in the Renaissance. Thereafter, the chapter proceeds with presenting the evolution of the artistic academies up to their domination in the artistic world in the nineteenth century and the subsequent raise of the so-called bohemianism. The phenomenon of bohemianism is discussed on the literary examples (Henri Murger), as well as on the examples of the biographies of modern artists. The juxtaposition of their actual merits with critical remarks, which they had to face in the early phase of their careers, proves to facilitate a better understanding of the mechanism of exclusion used in that time in the sphere of art. Finally, it is also argued to open the reflection on its potentially stimulating and inspiring nature.