There is something ennobling and uplifting to the spirit when one comes across something spectacular and breathtaking from an unexpected source. Something that separates the body from the soul that resides within, that celebrates the uniqueness of human nature and the human spirit.

Such was the case with Martin Ramirez. A Mexican who migrated to the States at the age of 30, he soon thereafter spent the rest of his life in mental institutions as a catatonic schizophrenic. Out of the materials that he could find, he was able to make astonishing large scale drawings and collages using largely paper bags and paper scraps. These works drew on his Mexican heritage, moulded by the modern times in which he lived.

His works have gained recognition as American folk art, and has recently enjoyed a resurgence of interest.

Such unexpected “genius” defies any easy rational explanation and leaves us in amazement at the boundless imagination of the human spirit. Once in a while, we are, by such examples, diverted from the mundane events that we muddle through as our normal life and find there is proof of something deeper and greater.