The documentary was originally released in 2005. I purchased and viewed it in 2005 and hadn't watched it since. Until tonight. I remembered why I fell in love with it the first time around.
Henry Joseph Darger (April 12, 1892 – April 13, 1973) was a writer and an artist, who's work was essentially unknown until he after he died.
Darger had it rough as a child. Early on he was sent to an Illinois orphanage when his father passed. Later he was sent to an asylum for feeble-minded children. His life as a child made its way into his storytelling.
As an adult he worked as a janitor. He lived a life of solitude. When he died in Chicago in 1973, his landlady discovered in his room, 300 paintings, some over 10 feet long, and a 15,145 page illustrated novel entitled The Realms of the Unreal. It was bound in fifteen typed volumes, created over the course of 60 years.
The majority of the book, The Story of the Vivian Girls, follows the adventures of the daughters of Robert Vivian, seven princesses of the land of Abbieannia. In battle they fight against the army of child slavery masters.Within this strange land are the Blengigomeneans, which are large winged benevolent creatures.
Darger often painted and wrote about children. In fact at one point Darger wanted to adopt a child. His efforts were not successful.
According to the documentary film, Darger had learned of a 5 year old, female girl by the name of Elsie Paroubek who had been murdered. The killing was highly publicized in Chicago. Darger kept a photo clipping from the newspaper. Darger had a growing collection of child premade drawings, magazine images, and photographs that he used for inspiration for his own drawings and paintings.
Darger lost the photo and was devastated.
He began praying and writing stories about the loss of this photo. He never saw it again.
Darger was fond of drawing little girls. The children were the sheroes and were strong, courageous yet innocent. Dargers, "Vivian Girls" take center stage through many of his stories.
One of the more peculiar aspects of his paintings of young girls, is that they all had penises.
The documentary film, interviews the few individuals in Darger's life. One of them being his old landlady. She reveals that Darger rarely spoke to others but in his own room he took on the voices of many. He created characters which had conversations with each other. Perhaps characters from his stories.
Darger was a mystery but the film's director Jessica Yu, does a very good job in piecing some of the gaps. But Yu was right in titling her documentary "The Mystery of Henry Darger". Yu spent 5 years completing the film and after all of that Darger is still a wonder.
Some question whether Darger was suffering from mental illness. I don't believe so. Some question if he had Asperger's Syndrome. I don't know.
What makes a man such a recluse? What made HIM such a recluse? We may never know.
A 2011 Huffinting Post article reveals a snippet from Darger's novel:
In this story, for more than 43 years, child slavery existed in the Calverinian country. Hundreds of thousands of children torn from their parents, made to work themselves to death without getting a cent, and horrors upon horrors, almost equal that of perdition... To free the children, the Christian nation of Abbieannia wages a four and a half year war against the godless Glandelinian slave owners. Leading the child slave rebellion are the seven Vivian girl princesses: Daisy, Hettie, Violet, Joice, Jennie, Angeline and Catherine... They shunned evil ways, not through fear of their parents but through fear of god. They were always willing to do as they are told, going to Mass and Holy Communion every day and living the lives of little saints. But their lives, for at least a number of years, were to be all of sorrow.
Below is a snippet from Darger's autobiography:
I do not remember the length of time I remained in the Mission of Our Lady's Home, but one part of the last year I was taken to be examined by a doctor who said my heart was not in the right place. Where was it supposed to be? In my belly? I did not know it at the time but now I know I was taken to the doctor to find out if I was really feeble-minded or crazy. Had I known what was going to be done with me I surely would have ran [sic] away... During the cold, windy, threatening late November day, I was hustled on to the Chicago and Alton Unlimited train and brought to some kind of home for feeble-minded children outside of Lincoln, Illinois. If I had known the cause of me being sent to that children's nut-house, I sure would have never forgiven those at the Mercy of Our Lady home. I, a feeble-minded kid. I knew more than the whole shebang in that place.
Darger was a talent but most importantly he was a man. Certainly he is mysterious because his art is unique. His life was unique in that it was so barren. But amongst our intrigue, our curiosity, our sympathy and pity; let us acknowledge a real man.
If we can relate to our idea of Darger then perhaps there is a certain romanticism to his level of solitude. But ultimately Darger was lacking in many ways and retreated to his art. Perhaps he was artistic and therefore blocked out a world that wouldn't understand his mind. Or perhaps he could not relate to the world and was lucky enough to have an imagination that could salvage him. Which came first?
Inside the Realms of the Unreal: The Mystery of Henry Darger
Jessica Yu was turned onto Darger when she saw some of his artwork dispayed at an exhibition. Being that his works have been displayed in such public arenas, I knew it was safe to say that I could find areas in which he has inspired popular culture.
I learned that singer Natalie Merchant had written a song entitled "The Ballad Henry Darger" off of her 2001 studio album, Motherland.
The cover art of the 2005 Animal Colelctive's Feels album is presumedly an homage to Darger's work. It is an album I own, however, I had not connected the dots.
Seems like Darger might be a "Cult of Darger" milling around.
Darger's autobiography has not been published, nor has his novel been published. I can only hope that one day someone will take on the gargantuan task.
It is open to the public.
Darger is buried in a cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois. His headstone is inscribed "Artist" and "Protector of Children."
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