Stephen Wiltshire
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Stephen Wiltshire (born 1974) is an accomplished architectural artist who has been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. Stephen's interests are: earthquakes, cars, and architecture, in that order.
Stephen Wiltshire was born April 24 1974 to West Indian parents in London, England. He was mute and at the age of three was diagnosed as an autistic. The same year his father died in a motorcycle accident. At the age of four, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London where he expressed interest in drawing. He began to communicate through his drawings. At the age of 8, he began to draw imaginary post-earthquake cityscapes and cars.
Teacher Chris Marris begun to encourage his drawing and with his aid Wiltshire also slowly learned to speak at the age of 9.
At the age of ten, Wiltshire drew a series of pictures he called a "London Alphabet", a sequence of drawings of London landmarks, one for each letter.
When Wiltshire was part of a BBC programme The foolish Wise Ones in 1987, viewers phoned in, expressing interest to buy his work. A collection of his works, named Drawings, was published that year.
Wiltshire has become a popular picture author. He can look at a target once and then draw very accurate and very detailed picture about it. He once drew the whole of central London after a helicopter trip above it. He can also make imaginary scenes like St. Paul's cathedral surrounded by flames.
In 2003, there was a major retrospective in the Orleans House gallery in Twickenham near London.
Stephen's work has since been the subject of many TV documentaries; neurologist Oliver Sacks writes about him in the chapter "Prodigies" of his book in his book An Anthropologist On Mars.
His books include Cities (1989), Floating Cities (1991), and Stephen Wiltshire's American Dream (1993).
Selected quotes
- "I first met Stephen Wiltshire, briefly, in 1988 when he was visiting and drawing New York. I found him somewhat 'strange', clearly autistic, but a charming and friendly boy with a wonderful gift for drawing". Oliver Sacks, in the forward to Floating Cities
- "...his detachment, his remoteness, his odd tics---then his warm smile. He is very ready to smile if people smile at him first". Ibid
- "A few tourists [in ] stopped and peered desultorily; they saw a funny little boy, on a little stool, pretending to draw...and then, as the Spassky Tower began to take shape, as Stephen's masterly draughtsmanship and grasp of perspective became manifest, as the first outline was filled with rich, confident detail, they ceased to be desultory, they were arrested, they stopped in wonder---until finally there was a crowd of people, hushed, watching him in awe". Ibid
- "I have never stood so much in awe of a marvelous mysterious gift. This is an achievement to be celebrated and nurtured". Robin Philipson
- "[Stephen Wiltshire's] sense of perspective seems to be faultless. I've never seen in all my competition drawing such a talent, such a natural and extraordinary talent, that this child seems to have...(Stephen) is possibly the best child artist in Britain". Hugh Casson, in the foreward to Drawings.
External links
- Stephen Wiltshire's site (http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk)