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Tortured artists have produced some great work, true. J. S. Bach had some hardships in his life, but he wasn't tortured. J. R. R. Tolkien, similarly, was not
by NateEag 7y ago
Tortured artists have produced some great work, true.
J. S. Bach had some hardships in his life, but he wasn't tortured.
J. R. R. Tolkien, similarly, was not tortured.
da Vinci's life doesn't seem to have been horrible either.
I think they stand as strong counterexamples to the idea that tortured artists make the best art.
- _emacsomancer_ 7y agoTolkien wasn't tortured, but he fought in WWI.
- NateEag 7y agoI guess people (particularly Tom Shippey, IIRC) do argue that's a lot of what made his work what it is. I tend to forget about that part of his history. Certainly it would have been a traumatic experience. Definitely a relevant point. Thanks for mentioning it.