Art and Insanity

an unusual South Bank Show. Instead of showcasing an artist, here is a film that examines the relationship between madness and art, presented by the psychoanalyst Adam Phillips. Modern society, he suggests, has created a myth about the relationship between madness and creativity that glamorises mental illness and provides an alibi for destructive behaviour, whereas sanity has become equated with boredom and conformity. He believes the sane artist "can include their madness without being overwhelmed by it".