Alexander McQueen, 40, takes his own life
Sumptuous. Elaborate. Theatrical. Audacious.
These are some of the words that come to mind when I think about the fashion of Alexander McQueen, the 40-year old British designer who was found today, reportedly dead by his own hand.
I follow fashion peripherally; at its best I believe it is a breathtaking and living art form – blending design, color, texture, function, psychology, culture, history and often, performance.
Fashion is “wearable art,” and for many of us, important to our nascent sense of identity when we are young.
I have loved fashion since I was a child. While I have been less attentive to its whims and wonders in recent years, I certainly know the work of this extraordinary designer, dubbed the British enfant terrible in the nineties.
As I have read various accounts and tributes today in the British, American, and French press, the word “genius” appears repeatedly. Other quotes from the world of haute couture include mention of a “pessimistic streak.” There are references to the recent death of the designer’s mother, as well as the 2007 suicide of Isabella Blow, who brought McQueen to prominence and was a longtime friend.
(Incidentally, this “short & sweet” fashion image is Isabella Blow.)
Fashion world, creative genius
When I first read the breaking news of McQueen’s suicide, I flashed to the quintessential creative mind, to those who are deemed “genius” and who eventually take their own lives. Perhaps it is through suicide, or gradually, through self-destructive behavior and addictions.
Many say that there’s a fine line between creative genius and madness.
And the link between brilliance and a dark side? Is it the proverbial chicken and the egg? Where is the blurry line between genius and psychosis? Or do we simply overlook severe emotional problems in those who attain success at their creative pursuits?
Writers and artists who cut their lives short come to mind: poet Sylvia Plath, novelists Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway, painter Vincent van Gogh.
How many others whose luminous accomplishments share the stage with their demons, or were partially eclipsed by their own shadows?
Selfish act?
I think about the contagion of the act of suicide itself, and the ripple effects that alter generations to come, and those who are part of the connected world of the one who chooses this sort of departure. One can argue that ending one’s own life is the ultimate act of individual will, but is it also the cruelest act of selfishness, even if unintentionally so?
I have witnessed the tragic aftermath of suicide. I have seen the troubled years that follow for parents and children, for friends of the family who are left behind to clean up, left with perpetual torment over what was said and unsaid, over what they might have done differently.
Those who find a loved one who has taken his own life are irrevocably changed, haunted by images as well as questions. Lives spiral downward into self-abuse and depression, and I am reminded of this, reading these early accounts of acclaimed fashion designer Alexander McQueen.
- Is genius doomed?
- Is suffering a requirement of the creative mind?
- Does brilliance always flirt with darkness?
- Is death by one’s own hand the ultimate selfish act?
I am saddened by this news, not only for the loss of unique talent, but for those who will carry the burdens forward, wondering if there was something they missed.
Suicide is far too close for me to really discuss. It is the very saddest form of death that there is, I believe. The sadness of knowing a soul was so torn apart and weak that he could not go on.
This is so sad. Like you, I love to watch runway shows and see all of the amazing beauty and out of this world creations. Your post is wonderful and brought to mind the following video. You must see it if you haven’t yet:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
I have had a family member kill themselves, and I do believe they were so depressed, ill, that they couldn’t see what their death would do to those they left here. That being said, family members should do everything possible to get a depressed person care. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
I wholeheartedly reject that idea that brilliance and darkness are always part of the same makeup. Many geniuses don’t appear self-destructive at all. But I do wonder about some elements of the fashion industry — the availablity of drugs, body dysmorphia, and the pressure to produce.
This reminds me of the moral theorist Kohlberg. He was brilliant. He developed the stages of moral reasoning that are still being argued about today.
He also committed suicide.
I don’t know whether it is brilliance or a hidden layer of insecurity that pushed these men over the edge. The world will miss Alexander’s expertise.
Thanks for this thoughtful post, BLW.
I’ve also had a family member commit suicide. And what stupidity that was. Sixteen years later he’s still dead while everything else has moved on without him. He missed all these years of his childrens’ lives and finding out what might have become of his own.
What I absolutely can’t stand is when someone indicates that it takes “courage” to commit suicide. That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I ever heard. It takes courage to wake up every day and handle your problems. It takes courage to raise your children in adversity and through a depression. It takes courage to believe that things will get better. It doesn’t take courage to give up.
I’m not sure if genius and darkness go hand in hand, but I do think creativity and darkness are connected. Sad.
People who kill themselves are so sick and so wounded that they can’t see clearly anymore, I think.
For some reason your post made me think of the death of Heath Ledger, an actor whose work I admired and whose death – although ruled accidental – and the subsequent images of his daughter and his former lover continue to haunt me. Clearly Ledger was visited by mental demons and the height of his career apparently came with the depths of despair – but my heart remains with the people he left behind.
No no no no no! (To all questions.) Genius is not doomed, and it’s not intrinsically tied to a dark side. Albert Einstein was a genius, and quite the family man. He loved having fun.
I know you can point to geniuses who have taken their lives, but there are also very ordinary people who have tragically done the same.
My heart goes out to Mr. McQueen and his loved ones.