AGING ARTISTS ON THE CREATIVITY OF THEIR OLD-AGE

Eighty-eight graphic artists in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, nominated as creative by 154 prominent artists, completed an open-ended questionnai re about aging and its effect on their work. Four questions referred t o changes in creativity in terms of the quality and quantity of work, sources of new ideas (originality), and approaches to art (style). The artists also were asked about the impact of physical and sensory loss es on their work, and on their differences from younger artists, The a rtists also rated the quality and quantity of their past, present and anticipated work. A content analysis of the artists' written comments to the 6 questions, and the ratings, gave a highly positive picture of aging's influence on art. Quality and quantity were reported as impro ving with age, as were the artists' ideas about, and approaches to, ar t. The presumed handicaps of aging largely were irrelevant or overcome . Few differences were reported with younger artists. Positive views o f aging held equally for both men and women, and across the 3 age grou ps. The optimistic portrait of aging reflected by this sample of visua l artists is discussed in terms of its relevance to other kinds of art ists and nonartists; the consequences of early retirement; and the pla ce of active older persons, especially artists, in studies of cognitiv e development.