The Effects of Narcotic Substances on Aesthetic Sensibility

The relationship between psychoactive substances and artistic creativity has long occupied a prominent place in cultural discourse. Many artists have been associated with alcohol, narcotics, and other psychoactive substances, leading to the widespread belief that such substances enhance artistic inspiration and aesthetic sensibility. This study critically examines this assumption through an interdisciplinary approach that combines aesthetic theory, art history, and biographical analysis. By Focusing on selected works by Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, the study investigates whether the aesthetic characteristics of their artworks can reasonably be attributed toare reasonably attributable to substance use. ThroughBased on qualitative visual analysis and contextual examination of artists’ biographies, the findings suggest that psychoactive substances do not function as reliable sources ofare not reliable sources of artistic creativity. Rather, artistic production appears to be more strongly shaped by cultural environment, personal experience, artistic training, and sustained creative practice. The enduring association between drugs and artistic genius is therefore better understood as a cultural myth than as an empirically demonstrable relationship.