Can ex-drug users ever make good art?
- Published
Will Gompertz considers whether the quality of an artist's work is made or marred by having used drugs in the past.
The controversial Danish film director Lars von Trier said recently that he fears that he will not make any more films now he is no longer taking drugs or drinking alcohol.
While taking drugs can have a very negative impact on brain function, some argue that artists can be at their most creative under the influence of drugs. So is Von Trier right that this enhanced creativity is lost if the artist returns to sobriety?