User:Lia7x/Drawing Autism

Drawing Autism: Inside the Minds of Artists on the Spectrum is a 2009 book of artwork that was collected and curated by Jill Mullin. The featured artwork was created by individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who range from children to people well-established within the art field. The author also interview questions intended to better explain the art and what it means to the artist. The book features a foreword from Temple Grandin, who also contributed art to the collection.

Mullin has noted that for some on the spectrum, art may be one of the only ways for the individual to communicate their experiences and thoughts.

Themes
There are recurring themes of repetition, detailed patterns, colorfulness, and social isolation that relate these many drawings to each other and other works by individuals with ASD. The author grouped similar themes together while including another chapter titled "Art for Art's Sake" with whatever drawing or painting didn't fit into these categories.

Artist's Notes
The Author includes a series of questions that are intended to help the reader understand the art and what it means to the artist. The questions are :

"At what age did the act of creating art enter into your life? Why did you start creating art? What inspires/excites you about creating art? How do you choose your subjects? Why do you paint/draw what you do? Do you think your art helps others understand how you view the world?".

Many of this artist took advantage of this line of questioning to show the immense talent and potential that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have and to encourage the world to make use of these talents.

Reception
Critical reception for Drawing Autism has been positive and scholar Ilona Roth has referred to the book as an " excellent collection". Publisher's Weekly reviewed Drawing Autism, stating that it was "a testament to the power of art to reveal the inner world of people living with ASD."