Autism has been getting a lot of media attention lately which has slowly dispelled myths about the condition. It was once thought that people afflicted with autism were low functioning and were dismissed as mentally retarded. While most people who are autistic lack language and social skills, they generally have extremely high intelligence levels. In rare cases, autistic persons have the natural ability to perform astonishing skills which places them in the savant category. According to an article posted on autism.org by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D. in 1995, Autistic Savant refers to individuals with autism who possess extraordinary skills not exhibited by most persons. It is estimated that only 10% of those with autism have savant abilities, whereas those without autism who have savant abilities in 1%.

While there are many forms of savant abilities, the most common ones are math, memory, art and music. Cases of artistic autistic savants include Mark Rimland who paints with watercolors and whose father, Dr. Bernard Rimland, created the Autism Research Institute and was a technical consultant for Rain Man. In conjunction with author Helen Landalf in 1997, Mark published his first book, “The Secret Night World of Cats”. He has since won countless awards for his work and has been featured on numerous television shows. Another example of an artistic savant with autism is the late Richard Wawro who was legally blind and drew with crayons. His work sold for up to $10,000 and was purchased by the likes of Margaret Thatcher as well as the Pope.

Probably one of the most famous cases of autistic savants in mathematics and memory is Kim Peek – who was the inspiration for the Dustin Hoffman character in Rain Man. Peek was born with an eidetic or photographic memory and can recall 12,000 books from memory word for word. Similar to Peek, artist Stephen Wiltshire too has an eidetic memory and can recall every detail of landscapes, cities and architecture after one glance, but that’s not all. Wiltshire can then draw what he has seen with such great detail, it is almost close to a blueprint which has earned him the nickname, the human camera.

Stephen Wiltshire was born in London on April 24, 1974. He was diagnosed as autistic at age 3. Wilshire was mute up until he was 5 years old and did not relate to others. The same year he uttered his first word –pencil- , he began drawing animals, buses and buildings. Encouraged in his art, he began drawing imaginary cityscapes after earthquakes at age 8. By 1987, Wiltshire was getting media recognition for his incredible ability with pencil and paper. The BBC featured him with two other autistic savants with a special called “The Foolish Wise Ones”. Since then, Wiltshire has been the subject of many programs, as well as four books, which has catapulted the artist’s career to exhibit world wide.

In 2001, Wiltshire began his city drawings. For the documentary titled “Fragments of Genius”, he was flown over London by helicopter and then asked to draw the city in three hours. The results were astounding as Wiltshire included 12 landmarks and 200 buildings each drawn to perfect scale, proportion and detail. Subsequent trips to Tokyo and Rome were also filmed for television specials. Drawing from memory after a thirty minute flight around each city, he completed near blueprint five and half panoramic drawings after only 3 days. He has also completed drawings of Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, and Jerusalem with stunning accuracy.

In 2006, Wiltshire was given one of the highest honors in England when Queen Elizabeth named him as Member of the Order of the British Empire. With this prestige, he was given a permanent gallery at the Royal Opera Arcade in London. In February of this year, Wiltshire was named Person of the Week by ABC News.

With such world-wide recognition, his work is in high demand. Prints of Wiltshire’s drawings range from 35 pounds to 395 pounds, while his original work can reach 60,000 pounds. His exhibits are anticipated by collectors and he travels the world to showcase his work. From March to May, Wilshire visited three countries. His first trip took him to Manhattan where he exhibited his latest works at the United Nations Headquarters. Then it was off to Dubai where he recreated his view of the cities skyline. A live auction was also on the agenda and collectors flocked to the city for a chance to bid on the artist’s freshly penned work. May brought him back to Jerusalem to sketch the capital of the city. In July of 2008, Wilshire exhibited at the House of Commons in London along side Asperger’s Syndrome singer/artist Rosagy.

Stephen Wilshire has proven to the world that having a disability doesn’t make one unable. Although, like most autistic persons, he relies on family to help him with daily tasks; through his incredible talent, he has also shed new light on Autism. While it might be cliché to say, he is an inspiration to everyone who has ever seen him.

>Written by d/visible contributor Tony Engelhart.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Illustration, Profile, Art & Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.