Although there were many layers to Hannah Gadsby's Nanette that varied in levels of seriousness, one particular aspect of her standup really stood out to me. Her frequent art history references and sheer knowledge of the topic added depth and weight to her argument. She very beautifully applied art history to current issues we face today. For example, the ridiculous roles of women were discussed through the depictions of them in paintings (Gadsby). Though we are no longer expected to run around partially nude, the idea that women cannot think for themselves is still a prominent issue in society today. With Gadsby's nods to art history, she indirectly comments on the gendered aspect in the relationship between art, mental illness, and genius. In this blog post, I will attempt to discuss how coining artists' mental illnesses as "genius" is somehow also a gendered idea.
Hannah Gadsby cites Vincent van Gogh as an example of an artist suffering from mental illness being regarded as a "genius." To demonstrate this, she tells the story about how he only sold one painting and joked that it was probably because he was "crazy" (Gadsby). Similarly, Gadsby mentioned Pablo Picasso and the creepy relations he had with an underage girl. This injustice of course was overlooked by the public due to his genius. "But, cubism," was a common quip Gadsby incorporated mimicking the societal excuse given for Picasso (Gadsby). He clearly molested this woman, but it was alright because his genius created cubism, and he and his victim were both "at their prime" (Gadsby). Firstly, that statement could not be any more disgusting, but it is not surprising coming from an old, white dude. Old white men of power always seem to get away with these vile, sexist remarks anyway. Gadsby quoted that his mental illness, although he did suffer from some form of it, was actually "misogyny" (Gadsby). It seems as though the crown of "genius" will also disguise sexism, as the men and artists who abuse their fame and power are allowed to employ misogyny in the name of "higher intelligence."
Women are excluded from this "genius" narrative in both Gadsby's standup and society. (What's new?) Of course, throughout history, there have been female artists and also geniuses (gasp) who may have been plagued by mental illness. That simple fact does not mean that they are actually discussed and given validity, though. There are endless examples of depressed male artists, van Gogh and Picasso, for one, and in music, Mozart, with his public outbursts and odd mannerisms, and Chopin, with his 24 Preludes written as he was slowly dying of tuberculosis. (I wrote a 20-page paper about Mozart and the suspicion that he had Tourette's Syndrome. Similarly, I also made a PowerPoint presentation on multiple artists and the psychology behind their music, in which I discussed Chopin.) How come all of this attention (i.e. 20-page reports) goes to the male artists who suffered mental illnesses? Why is this, of all topics, a gendered one? Perhaps it is because women could not possibly be regarded as geniuses. Maybe the men were the only ones focused on in history because women generally did not matter. (Side note: Women composers around Chopin's time and much later were condemned for creating music and seen as simply not brilliant enough to make valid works. Triggering, I know.) Whatever the reason, women and their genius and/or mental illness are not given the same publicity as their male counterparts. I would like to think that men are hiding behind their masks of genius, not only to disguise mental illness and misogyny, but to blind themselves from the overwhelming and obvious geniuses of women who are simply too afraid and societally suppressed to let them shine.
*If anyone can think of a female artist whose mental illness is regarded as them being a "genius," please tell me about it. I would love to learn more about the female voices being overshadowed by men throughout history.
Works Cited
Gadsby, Hannah. Nanette. Directed by Madeleine Parry and Jon Olb. Performance by Hannah Gadsby, Netflix, 19 June 2018.
I can think of women artists who are seen as both “geniuses” and mentally ill (Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, etc.), but often it’s the mental illness that gets emphasized as a qualifier, not an “add on,” if that makes any sense. It makes them freakish—and leads to a kind of “the only kind of female genius is a mentally ill one.” Does that make sense? Indeed, it’s a fascinating, complex subject.
ReplyDeleteDr. Hanrahan, thank you for your comment. It is sad that I haven't had an opportunity to learn about these women, but I will definitely look them up now. Your argument makes sense, and I totally agree with you. The mental illness of these women defines them and takes away from their "genius." Male artists are "geniuses" who just so happen to suffer from mental illness, while women geniuses are "freaks" who cannot escape their mental illness. I am certain if you asked someone about Mozart, they would gush over how much of a musical genius he was and downplay or not even touch on his very obvious mental illnesses. That I believe is due to him not being defined by his mental illness, much like women geniuses seem to be.
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