Autistic Artist Dazzles With Photographic Memory

Imagine being able to look at something once and then draw it with stunning accuracy. That's what autistic artist, Stephen Wiltshire, can do. The results are not only technically amazing, but emotionally moving, if only due to the circumstances under which they are created.

Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes, but he has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, often after having only observed them briefly. He studied Fine Art at City & Guilds Art College, and was awarded an MBE for services to the art world in 2006. His work is popular all over the world, and is held in a number of important collections.

He was born in London to West Indian parents in 1974. As a child, he was mute and did not relate to other human beings. At three, he was diagnosed as autistic. Since then he has studied art and continues to show his work around the world.

Here's a great gallery of his work, and below is a video about a project he's doing in New York City.

Ah, the wonders of the human mind!

Photo via Stephen Wiltshire.

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