How Autistic Artists See the World

A new book of art compiled by Jill Mullin, "Drawing Autism", rounds up many remarkable examples of work by people from all across the autism spectrum.

Some of the artworks relate to the frustration the artists experience in trying to interact with others, as many people with autism have difficulty reading other people's facial and emotional cues.

Donna Williams, who created this painting called "The Outsider" says: "A lot of my work is faceless people, which i guess expresses my world as a face-blind person. They lack distinct backgrounds, more like, they have atmospheres not backgrounds, and that's probably becouse i'm context-blind".




Esther Brokaw describes herself as a savant—someone with an usual talent that contrasts with her overall limitations. Her masterful paintings make it obvious that she sees the world differently, as her landscapes seem to capture every leaf in the forest and every beam of light.




Says Brokaw: "My reasons for going public with my savant diagnosis is to increase awareness of the talent that exists in many on the autistic spectrum and to encourage the world to utilize these talents."



VIA: Discover magazine