Transcript File

Art
&
the experience
of Mental Illness
The thoughts, beliefs, values, and emotions of artists
are always represented in their work , whether
intentionally or unintentionally.
Three of the more familiar connections between art and
the functions of the mind are:
1) the ways in which artists express their own thoughts,
feelings, and mental distress in their paintings;
2) the use of art to help individuals with mental
disorders; and
3) the occasional emergence of a person with mental
illness, untrained as an artist, who proves to have a
unique artistic vision.
Terry A. Rustin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736519/
In 1792, the Spanish born Francisco Goya (1746-1828) became very
sick with a fever and mental confusion and may have had
encephalitis. Although he physically recovered, he still suffered with
episodes of hallucinations, a depressed mood, and emotional
outbursts.
Francisco Goya, Self Portrait, 1815
Goya began to depict mental illness and those who suffer with it
in a series of etchings (“Los Proverbios” or “Los Disparates,”
1815 through 1824.) He never exhibited these etchings, and
they were not published until 40 years after his death.
The French Paul
Cézanne (1839-1906),
who had repeated
bouts of depression,
revealed his depressed
mood in a number of
canvases.
Paul Cézanne, Young man with a
Skull, 1896-98
Paul Cézanne, Pyramid of Skulls, 1901
Another Frenchman, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), had
episodes of depression, episodes of expansive and frenetic
mood, and episodes of hallucinations. He committed suicide. His
doctors blamed absinthe and a seizure disorder for his mental
illness and he has been diagnosed with a variety of disorders,
including bipolar disorder after his death.
Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait with
Bandaged Ear, 1889
Van Gogh’s mood swings, his recurring obsession with death, and
his psychotic perceptions can be seen in many of his works.
Evidence for depressed mood and obsession with death:
Vincent Van Gogh,
Hanging Skeleton
with Cat, 1886
Vincent Van Gogh,
Cypresses, 1890
Evidence for hallucinations and delusions:
Vincent Van Gogh,
Starry Night, 1889
Evidence for mania and manic states:
Van Gogh, Rain, 1889
Several Post-Impressionists
are known for expressing
their mood disorders in their
work. The best known single
work is “The Scream” by the
Norwegian Edvard Munch
(1863-1944), of which there
are a number of versions.
“The Scream” shows a
desperate man, shrieking in
his despair. Many of Munch’s
other paintings also express
the depressed and hopeless
mood that tormented him
throughout his life, his
obsession with death, and his
overwhelming fears.
1893
Edvard Munch, Anxiety, 1894
Edvard Munch, Blossom of Pain,
1898
Russian, Mark Rothko (1903-1970) struggled with depression his
entire adult life, eventually killing himself. His colour field
paintings evoke profound feelings of depression in many
viewers, as they did in the artist.
Mark Rothko, No. 4, 1964
Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1968
The frenzied images of Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) appear to
reflect his inner turmoil. Alcohol dependent and never able to stay
sober for long, constantly depressed and frequently suicidal, he
died in a one-car crash. A film of him painting shows him working
at a hectic pace; he appears to be expressing his internal chaos on
the canvas before him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bICqvmKL5s
Jackson Pollock,
No. 32, 1950
Jackson Pollock, The Flame, 1934-38
Bernard Buffet (19281999) suffered with
depression, and often
depicted himself in a
depressed state in his
paintings.
Bernard Buffet, Self Portrait,
1981
Bernard Buffet, Death, 1989
Bryan Charnley (1949-1991) lived with schizophrenia; his medication
controlled most of his symptoms but limited his creativity. He
deliberately stopped and started medication in order to fully
experience his illness and to record it in his paintings.
http://www.bryancharnley.info/9portriat.asp
Bryan Charnley, Self
Portrait, 1981
Many Artists, who did not have mental illness themselves,
depicted the condition in their work.
The Scottish Charles Bell
(1774-1842), sympathized
with the condition of mentally
ill patients, and made a
number of etchings showing
the degrading conditions in
which they were kept in
England .
Picasso drew a remarkable picture
of a schizophrenic man (The
Madman, in 1904.)
Ric Hall and Ron Schmitt collaborate in pastels and have many
works that reflect serious mental illness, including major
depressive disorder, delusions, alcohol dependence and
depression and imminent death.
Awaiting
Tomorrow,
2002
Inner Demons,
2002
TASK:
You are to create a work of art reflecting the
experience of your chosen Mental Illness. You
can create this piece in any medium, however,
it MUST have a three dimensional component.
Due: November 29th, for the Mental Health
Awareness Night