Study: When artists are depressed, their art has less value
We’ve all heard the story of Vincent van Gogh cutting his ear off and of Jackson Pollock’s alcoholism and depression. The struggles facing the creative “genius” are so ingrained in our culture that it has its own moniker: “tortured artists.” Some of the greatest creators of all time are synonymous with depression. But a new study in the INFORMS journal Management Science finds that work created by artists when they are unhappy is valued less than their other works.