As a child, Stephen was mute and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language, uncontrolled tantrums and lived entirely in his own world.
Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London when he was just 5 years old, a school for children with special needs, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line and reveal a natural innate artistry.
In 1987, the BBC QED programme, 'The Foolish Wise Ones', featured Stephen's astounding talent. The programme was devoted to three autistic savants: musical, mathematical and artistic. Stephen was introduced by Sir Hugh Casson (past president of the Royal Academy), who described him as "the best child artist in Britain". Stephen's work has since been the subject of numerous television programmes around the world, and the writer and psychologist, Oliver Sacks, has devoted an essay to Stephen in his book An Anthropologist On Mars (Picador 1995). Stephen is the only artistic autistic savant in the world whose work has been recorded and published since his childhood. His third book - Floating Cities (Michael Joseph, 1991) - was number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.
I have seen videos of his works since he was just a kid. I was amazed at the outstanding detail in his works with which he has no reference to refer to just his memory. But since then, I have never found an artist with a talent such as his.
He was chosen as Person of The Week on ABC World News on the 13th of February 2008. Stephen wowed the viewers with a quick sketch of Piccadilly Circus after a 10 minutes glimpse of the landmark.
images and video © Stephen Wiltshire 2008
Visit his website for more info and to see his complete gallery. link
