Klecksography is the art of making images from inkblots. Spots of ink are dropped onto a piece of paper, which is then folded to create a symmetrical image. Symmetry, by nature, powerfully stimulates the mind to see meaningful patterns in random data. By applying more ink or other mediums to the pattern, either by outlining the inkblots and/or adding defining marks to it, the artist creates a uniquely abstract image (klecksograph) from the original pattern. And sometimes, the pattern in the inkblot is so pronounced, that no enhancement is needed; it stands on its own.
The history of using inkblots to stimulate the imagination can be traced back to the late 1400’s. Leonardo da Vinci and Boticelli used them to prompt their imaginations for creative works of art.
In the late 1800’s, a physician and mystic poet (Justinus Kerner) used them to draw him closer to the spirit of nature. Around the same time, novelists Stuart and Paine used them to stimulate their imagination for writing.
Years later, psychologist Hermann Rorschach invented the Rorschach Test from inkblots, which he then considered a tool to stimulate visual free association to uncover unconscious tendencies identifying a person's state of mind and various personality traits. Sigmund Freud used verbal free association to identify the same traits.
Up to 3000 different interpretations for the established set of 10 inkblots used by mental health professionals have been reported. And… an above-average number of deviant verbalizations have been noted. Psychologists continue to use this tool today to diagnose Schizophrenia and other abnormal behaviors.
Please enjoy this gallery and see what YOU see in these klecksographs.
