Reviews for The Colorful Apocalypse: Journeys in Outsider Art

The average rating for The Colorful Apocalypse: Journeys in Outsider Art based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-01-29 00:00:00 Lynda M Steinhauer This is a non-fiction book about outsider folk art by one of my favorite writers. Excellent prose, he's got a brother in a mental institution (wrote a memoir about that too, called Angelhead) and that is one of his many reasons for being drawn to the crazed artists that populate this superb book.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-01-13 00:00:00 Ryan Phifer This book is a rare mixture of solid scholarship, cultural theory, ethnography, and autobiography, with an equally unusual compassion for the outsider artists he interviewed and for himself. I have had a longtime interest in "Outsider Art" and also emerged personally from Christian fundamentalism, so I appreciate Bottoms' solid understanding of the theological and social underpinnings of these artists. Additionally, Bottoms' journey to understanding his own family's experience with his schizophrenic brother as a lens for questioning assumptions about outsider art was fascinating and thoughtful (I too have a schizophrenic step-sibling). While those interested in cultural theory will appreciate the intellectual constructs he provides, this book is also very readable for any college-educated person interested in outsider art.