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Drawing While on LSD.

By Alex in Arts & Crafts on Sep 18, 2006 at 1:42 am


From the website:

These 9 drawings were done by an artist under the influence of LSD — part of a test conducted by the US government during it’s dalliance with psychotomimetic drugs in the late 1950’s. The artist was given a dose of LSD 25 and free access to an activity box full of crayons and pencils. His subject is the medico that jabbed him.

First drawing is done 20 minutes after the first dose (50ug)

An attending doctor observes – Patient chooses to start drawing with charcoal.

The subject of the experiment reports – ‘Condition normal… no effect from the drug yet’.

Wait till you see the other drawings: Link

Related: Webs of Spiders on Drugs | Space Cadet: Military Testing of LSD on British Troops

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COMMENT
  1. dwee
    Sep 18th, 2006 at 3:22 am

    Hmm... there's no indication that the test was double-blind. In fact, it's quite clear that both the artist and the experimenter knew that the substance was LSD and not a placebo-- perhaps some of the results could have been caused by the placebo effect. Still interesting, though.

  2. Chapu
    Sep 18th, 2006 at 10:14 am

    2:45 and 4:45, he actually makes something good and interesting. I think this artist should continue his LSD trials.

  3. The Liberal Avenger
    Sep 18th, 2006 at 3:59 pm

    I have serious doubts as to whether or not this experiment actually took place at all as described.

    It's not that LSD isn't capable of manifesting itself visually as it appears here, it's the perfect narrative that the pictures depict.

    Subject is normal, subject is given LSD, things start to get crazy, things REALLY start to get crazy! things start to get normal again. Things are all normal again. 8 hours start to finish.

    While LSD most certainly CAN work just that way, it more likely than not doesn't. My guess is that the actual story behind the pictures is more complicated - perhaps the same subject being drawn by different people on different amounts of LSD... Perhaps drawn by the same person during different sessions of taking LSD.

  4. sam
    Sep 18th, 2006 at 7:03 pm

    your probably just overthinking it. The government does experiments with drugs all the time. going from normal, tripping, and back to normal should always happen to people that take lsd.

  5. The Liberal Avenger
    Sep 18th, 2006 at 8:17 pm

    Point well taken.

    The idea that someone who is "an artist" is given LSD and a sketch pad and encouraged to draw is different from simply a "participant" being given LSD and asked to draw.

    What would the output of the non-artist tell us about the LSD experience?

  6. ted
    Sep 19th, 2006 at 4:47 pm

    The test tells us less about the artist's impression of the world while on LSD, and more about his ability to control his activity and motor skills while tripping.

    It does have an air of the urban legend around it, but you never know.

    They could just as easily test a race-car driver's ability to do laps. This just provides a visual effect.

  7. Alex
    Sep 20th, 2006 at 12:53 am

    What I wonder is why he was given 2 doses ...

  8. soldatoj57
    Sep 20th, 2006 at 11:34 am

    totally ridiculous...the best part is the running commentary

    anyone who knows knows better lol

  9. Victor
    Dec 8th, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    If these images were created by the us government during the course of an employees official duties then they should be in the public domain. I am curious where to find them? if anyone knows please post it! :)

    thanks

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