Formulaic narrative in outsider art: the containment of Martín Ramírez and the classification of Thornton Dial
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University of Delaware
Abstract
Outsider artist discovery narratives are formulaic constructions. Each recounts
the life of a socially marginalized artmaker, from youthful trials and tribulations to
encounters with educated discoverers and art market successes. Using art historical
and sociological methods to map and examine outsider artist discovery narratives, this
thesis isolates the five recurring narrative motifs of disadvantage, artmaking catalyst,
discovery, promotion, and art market success, and their resulting tale type. I show that
discovery narratives establish a systematic means for classification within the outsider
art world, and that market-labeled “outsider” artists who do not possess this standard
tale operate between outsider and insider art markets. The role of narrative is
specifically considered through two very different artist discovery stories: that of
quintessential outsider Martín Ramírez, a member of the outsider art canon, and that of
Thornton Dial, a contemporary artmaker market-labeled as an outsider artist. Using
Ramírez and Dial as examples, this thesis provides an objective and methodical
approach to outsider artist categorization.
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Campbell, C. Z. (2009). Formulaic narrative in outsider art: The containment of Martín Ramírez and the classification of Thornton Dial. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations (AAT-1469486)