Abstract
The expression of autism through a visual medium, the emergence of visual creativity stemming
from it, and the exploration of its inherent attributes, can be considered to be among the less researched fields of study. This research aims to investigate the realm of creative autism, with a
particular focus on the exceptional artistic legacy of one particular artist. A creative autistic can be
referred to as a person who is capable of creating something novel, out-of-the-ordinary and unique, and
who also pursues this practice with an inordinately passionate level of intensity. These individuals have
been known to produce huge amounts of work, often without anyone knowing it. The actual appearance
of autism spectrum disorder can differ greatly in its expression. However, one commonly accepted
attribute is an explicit qualitative impairment in the communication, social development and behaviour
of the individual. Through this research, I intend to present and process the visual and written legacy–
spanning more than three decades–of a woman who was diagnosed with an intellectual disability,
using the method of dynamic examination of drawing (Hárdi, 1983, 2002, 2016). I discovered this
woman, who is known as ‘The Artist of Beregszász’
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, by chance, and initially had the impression that
she was autistic. Based on the content of her biographical data, her self-confessions, and her works
themselves, I intend here to identify and establish the connections between the images and the life
events in relation to the personality of the artist, as it soon became apparent that the elements of self healing and self- expression, especially diary writing and drawing, played a special role in her life.
Moreover, this work, the exceptional legacy of ‘The Artist of Beregszász’, may also offer an
opportunity to gain further insight into knowledge deriving from the fields of personality psychology,
personality pathology and critical psychology.