Great art comes from great pain. Or that's the impression left by these haunting profiles. Pieced together, they form a revealing mosaic of the creative mind. It's like viewing an exhibit from the therapist's couch as each entry delves into the mental anguish that afflicts the artist and affects their art.
The scope of the artists covered is as varied as their afflictions. Inside, you will find not just the creators of the darkest of dark literature, music, and art. While it does reveal what everyday problem kept Poe's pen to paper and the childhood catastrophe that kept Picasso on edge, it also uncovers surprising secrets of more unexpectedly tormented artists. From Charles Schulz's unrequited love to J.K. Rowling's fear of death, it's amazing the deep-seated troubles that lie just beneath the surface of our favorite art.
As much an appreciation of artistic genius as an accessible study of the creative psyche, Tortured Artists illustrates the fact that inner turmoil fuels the finest work.
Christopher Zara is a writer, critic, and journalist with more than ten years' experience covering arts and culture. He is the managing editor of Show Business, a trade magazine for New York City's performing arts community.
Robbie Lee is an Orlando-based freelance artist and middle school art teacher, specializing in robots, people, and the sky. In addition to illustrating books, he also illustrates for companies and designs graphics for t-shirt retailers.
