Charles Bragg’s Asylum Paintings
In my home growing up there was a large framed Sutton Galleries poster of Charles Bragg’s The Asylum. It was larger than life, way beyond comprehension for my adolescent mind. It frightened and perplexed me, but I couldn’t help but stare at it, knowing something was going horribly wrong.
As a distraction from everyday activities, I recently decided to research this piece, only to once again become perplexed. I discovered that books, exhibition brochures, and websites showed two different paintings of the same name. It’s not unheard of for an artist to use the same title when painting copies of their own pieces, but these were similar yet very different scenes.
I decided to go down the rabbit hole and sure enough, Bragg did in fact paint two Asylums: one oil on paper (16 x 34 inches), and another oil on board (30 x 40 inches)—the piece I grew up mesmerized by.
These two distinct and compelling versions masterfully depict the artist’s satirical yet disturbing view of American society’s madness. Below is a brief exploration and comparison of these iconic paintings, shedding light on their profound symbolism and thematic evolution.
Brief Introduction to Charles Bragg
Charles Bragg (1931–2017) was an American artist renowned for his deeply satirical and often cynical depictions of humanity. Described as the modern-day Hieronymus Bosch, his work is a social commentary and critiques the follies of politics, religion, war, and societal norms. The year 1968 was a period of immense global turmoil—marked by the Vietnam War, political assassinations, and widespread civil unrest. Bragg’s two Asylum paintings from this year serve as powerful allegories for a world he saw as having descended into madness, with the lunatics running the institution. Though they share a title and a theme, these two works offer distinct, complementary visions of this societal asylum.
1. The Asylum (1968, Oil on Paper, 16″ x 34″)
Overview
This horizontally oriented painting offers a chaotic, almost carnivalesque representation of societal breakdown. The palette is vibrant yet unsettling, dominated by surreal colors ranging from muted blues and reds to earthy tones and grayish hues. It possesses a satirical wit that underscores its commentary on madness, war, and institutional corruption.
Central Imagery
At the heart is a figure resembling a king or tyrant, absurdly enthroned atop an enormous skull, draped in striped pants, and wielding symbols of mock authority. His absurd attire and comically fierce expression heighten the ridicule of oppressive authority figures. The giant skull symbolizes death underpinning authority, hinting at the destructive nature of unchecked power.
Key Symbolic Elements
- Central Throne (Giant Skull): Represents authority built upon death and violence.
- Tyrannical Figure (King): Satirical embodiment of oppressive, authoritarian madness. His striped pants and self-important posture heighten the mockery.
- Mechanized madness (Smokestacks): Symbols of man-made destruction, pollution, and societal corruption.
- Populace and War (Cannon): A massive cannon is aimed not at a foreign enemy, but at a huddled mass of pale, ghoulish figures—the common people, who are the ultimate victims.
- Blind Obedience (Animal-Human Hybrids): Figures illustrating blind conformity and loss of individual identity.
- Institutional corruption (Dilapidated Cathedral): Symbolizes the decay of faith and civilization.
- Detritus (American self-deprecation): Skulls, bones, and grotesque creatures like a star wearing lizard battling an obese counterpart—a critique of Americans.
Interpretation
Though unsettling, the painting maintains a darkly comic undertone. It critiques institutional madness, war, hypocrisy, and authoritarian absurdity, using humor and grotesquerie to expose the folly behind power structures and societal collapse.
Exhibition Catalogue
- Taylor, Geoffrey. “The Asylum. 1968 oil, 16 x 34″.” The Absurd World of Charles Bragg. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1980, pp. 2-3.
- Taylor, Geoffrey. “The Asylum. 1968 oil, 16 x 34″.” The Absurd World of Charles Bragg. Rev. ed. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1991, pp. 2-3.
- Bisbort, Alan. “Asylum, 1968.” Charles Bragg: The Works! A Retrospective. Foreword by Richard B. Stolley. Pomegranate, 1999, pp. 60-61.
- The Asylum.” NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale Collection. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, https://collection.nsuartmuseum.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=19144;type=101. Accessed 27 July 2025.
2. The Asylum (1968, Oil on Board, 30″ x 40″)
Overview
This large magnum opus is far darker, heavier, and psychologically intense. Its vertically oriented format enhances a claustrophobic, oppressive mood. Dominated by deep reds, browns, and shadowy blacks, it suggests a scene unfolding in the deepest corners of the human psyche or a symbolic Hell itself.
Central Imagery
A grotesque, infantile figure dressed in extravagant papal attire sits imposingly at the center of the composition, suggesting a perverse blending of childlike innocence and sinister authority. His blank yet unsettling expression evokes the chilling nature of corrupted innocence and blind tyranny. He reigns over a macabre earth littered with bones, skulls, and cracked eggs—symbols of decay, moral rot, and wasted potential.
Key Symbolic Elements
- Central Figure (Infantile Pope): Grotesquely obese, robed in red and pink, and surrounded by a golden halo—a parody of divine authority and the cult of personality.
- Root Throne: The pope appears to be riding on a tree root, suggesting the figure is being supported by or pulled into hell.
- Volcanic Crater: A rupture in the landscape, perhaps nature’s response to human madness—a fiery womb of destruction.
- Masked Clergy and Executioners: Represent institutional complicity and moral decay.
- Banners with Distorted Religious Symbols: Highlight institutional hypocrisy and corrupted spirituality.
- Graveyard Imagery: Tombstones, crosses, and skulls form the literal and symbolic ground of the painting.
- Cherubs and Death Figures: Mixes Christian and occult symbols into a fevered vision of apocalypse.
Interpretation
This painting abandons the lighter comedic elements seen in the other piece and fully immerses the viewer in a sinister vision. It suggests Bragg’s most intense reflections on madness: institutionalized, oppressive, and all-consuming. If the smaller painting mocks society, this larger masterwork condemns it, creating an intense feeling of unease, confrontation, and indictment.
Exhibition Catalog
- “Asylum 30 x 40” Charles Bragg. Exhibition brochure. New York: ACA Galleries, c. 1974-75, p. 5.
- Taylor, Geoffrey. “The Asylum. 1968 oil, 30 x 40″.” The Absurd World of Charles Bragg. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1980, pp. 86-87.
- Taylor, Geoffrey. “Madness in Progress (The Asylum).” The Absurd World of Charles Bragg. Rev. ed. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1980, pp. 30.
- Taylor, Geoffrey. “The Asylum. 1968 oil, 30 x 40″.” The Absurd World of Charles Bragg. Rev. ed. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1991, pp. 86-87.
Comparative Analysis:
| Attribute | “The Asylum” (Oil on Paper) | “The Asylum” (Oil on Board) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 16″ x 34″ (horizontal) | 30″ x 40″ (vertical) |
| Palette | Bright, surreal, satirical | Dark, oppressive, apocalyptic |
| Central Figure | Comically authoritarian, absurd, seated on skull throne | Infantile pope-like figure, chilling, sinister |
| Symbolism | War, absurdity, satirical chaos | Moral corruption, death, spiritual collapse |
| Tone | Darkly humorous critique | Deep psychological indictment |
| Overall Impact | Social satire, absurdity | Profound, disturbing, unsettling |
Bragg’s evolution from mocking satire to apocalyptic vision emphasizes the profound shift from viewing madness as a human folly to recognizing it as an existential threat.
Together, these two masterpieces from 1968 create a powerful and comprehensive vision of a world that has lost its reason—a societal Asylum depicted with Charles Bragg’s signature wit and brutal honesty. If this is what Bragg was painting in response to the world of 1968, one can only imagine—perhaps dread—what he might paint today.
