Considered as visionary art

[merrimacga]

Has anybody ever suggested that the VMS is no more (or less) than
a prodigious piece of what nowadays we call outsider or visionary
art, that happens to include a faux script as part of its
invention? If not, I'd be glad to elaborate on the notion, drawing
on my background in psychology and art appreciation.

I think I would hesitate to call the VM visionary art, which is a relatively new art form. Carl Jung is credited with coining the term in 1933 in his book, Modern Man in Search of a Soul. Wikipedia has a good definition, quoting or paraphrasing one of the most prominent visionary artists today, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.: "Visionary art is art that purports to transcend the physical world and portray a wider vision of awareness including spiritual or mystical themes, or is based in such experiences." Another prominent visionary artist is You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. I'm a huge fan of his work and have collected many of his prints over the years. Some people alternatively refer to visionary art as psychedelic art or sacred art (click the links and you'll see what I mean, the styles are very typical of the art form) and such artists are often said to be self-taught. Outsider art is also new and such artists are also said to be self-taught; the term was coined as the title of a book by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972.

A more appropriate term for the VM might be worldbuilding (or constructed world), based on the unidentified plants and language. The term is fairly self-explanatory and is also relatively new, having been coined by the Edinburgh Review in 1820. It could be applied to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and the Codex Seraphinianus, amongst innumerable others. Sir Thomas More's Utopia (1516) is considered an early example of worldbuilding.