A Dip Into the Realms of the Unreal

 Henry Darger was the kind of crazy that inspires curiosity and fascination, the kind that is gentle and reclusive--and only slightly reminiscent of people who wear other people as jackets. He escaped from an insane asylum at the age of 16; he was uncomfortable talking to people, but argued with himself in wild dialects and voices; and he produced over 35,000 pages of written works and art. 

So, obviously we checked out his exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum.


Henry Darger is arguably the most famous, if not at least the most prolific, outsider artist in history. Unable to relate to the world around him, and wrapped up alone in the world inside his mind, Darger spent 47 years creating the work he is most known for: a 15,145-page, single-spaced epic titled The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion.  (Should we all just take a moment to imagine producing 15,145 pages of fiction?  How about an eight volume, 5,000 page autobiography?  Because Darger did that too.)

He also produced hundreds of paintings to illustrate his tale, some of which were created on ten or twelve foot scrolls of butcher paper. With no training or money for supplies, Darger had to develop his own artistic techniques.  He used a heavy collage style incorporating watercolor, clippings from print media, tracing techniques, and photo enlargement.

Warning:  The more you look into the life Henry Darger, the more depressing the facts become, though digging deep is highly recommended.  There's a documentary about him on Netflix you can play instantly, so three cheers for that, but don't be prepared to go put on your dancing shoes when you're done watching it or anything. 

Darger's Workspace and Self-made Art Collection 

Darger often used stamps as makeshift picture frames for his work. 

Illustration of the Vivian Girls, about whom In the Realms of the Unreal was written.

Darger also depicted the Vivian Girls in collage.

Depiction of a Glandelinnian/Vivian Girl/Blengin battle.  Darger had a natural talent for composition and color. 

On a totally different note, we discovered there are excellent masks to be found at the American Folk Art Museum shop!