I decided to look a little into some Artists who have suffered with mental health disorders which their work reflects through this to gain a better understanding on how mental health has reflected their artwork.
“Artists are usually highly sensitive individuals who may have experienced trauma which pushed them into art as a form of escapism, self-expression or therapy,”
Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh is known mainly for his painting but also his long time battle with many different mental health issues such as; depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder along with other physical issues such as;
Epilepsy:
Van Gogh suffered from seizures which doctors, including Dr. Felix Rey and Dr. Peyron, believed to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Van Gogh was born with a brain lesion that many doctors believe was aggravated by his prolonged use of absinthe causing his epileptic condition. Dr. Gachet, another of Van Gogh's physicians, was thought to have treated his epilepsy with digitalis. This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. This may have been one of the reasons why Van Gogh loved this colour.
Lead poising:
Because Van Gogh used lead based paints there are some who believe he suffered from lead poisoning from nibbling at paint chips. It was also noted by Dr. Peyron that during his attacks Van Gogh tried to poison himself by swallowing paint or drinking kerosene. One of the symptoms of lead poisoning is swelling of the retinas which can cause one to see bright in circles like halos around objects. This can be seen in paintings like The Starry Night.
Van Gogh used color for its “symbolic and expressive values” rather than to reproduce light and literal surroundings. Van Gogh’s emotional state highly affected his artistic work and it deeply analyses his unconscious mind. The striking colours crude brush strokes, and distorted shapes and contours, express his disturbed mind. I am gunna take this into account when drawing/painting my own series on how colour and brush strokes reflected his mental health.
Edvard Munch
Painter of the famous and emotionally charged work, "The Scream," Edvard Munch is said to have suffered from depression, agoraphobia, a nervous breakdown and to have had hallucinations, one of which inspired "The Scream."The Norwegian artist said of the relationship between his mental illness and his work, "My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder ... my sufferings are part of my self and my art." it is really clear to see how he really threw his issues into his work and how each painting can really reflect a bigger picture that we may never understand.
Yayoi Kusama
Born in Matsumoto, Japan, she started using her visual language of painting with polka dots and nets as motifs at the early age of 10 to deal with mental health problems. Since 1977, Ms. Kusama has lived by choice in a mental hospital in Tokyo due to nervous disorders and hallucinations stemming from childhood. She continues to paint and create to this day in her artist studio across the street from the psychiatric hospital.
Yayoi Kusama has coped with severe psychological difficulties since she was a young child and even according to her own admission it is believed that her art is primarily inspired by the state of her mental health. Abused by her mother during her childhood, she began suffering from intense audio-visual hallucinations which have continued throughout her lifetime
“Artists are usually highly sensitive individuals who may have experienced trauma which pushed them into art as a form of escapism, self-expression or therapy,”
Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh is known mainly for his painting but also his long time battle with many different mental health issues such as; depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder along with other physical issues such as;
Epilepsy:
Van Gogh suffered from seizures which doctors, including Dr. Felix Rey and Dr. Peyron, believed to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Van Gogh was born with a brain lesion that many doctors believe was aggravated by his prolonged use of absinthe causing his epileptic condition. Dr. Gachet, another of Van Gogh's physicians, was thought to have treated his epilepsy with digitalis. This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. This may have been one of the reasons why Van Gogh loved this colour.Lead poising:
Because Van Gogh used lead based paints there are some who believe he suffered from lead poisoning from nibbling at paint chips. It was also noted by Dr. Peyron that during his attacks Van Gogh tried to poison himself by swallowing paint or drinking kerosene. One of the symptoms of lead poisoning is swelling of the retinas which can cause one to see bright in circles like halos around objects. This can be seen in paintings like The Starry Night.
Van Gogh used color for its “symbolic and expressive values” rather than to reproduce light and literal surroundings. Van Gogh’s emotional state highly affected his artistic work and it deeply analyses his unconscious mind. The striking colours crude brush strokes, and distorted shapes and contours, express his disturbed mind. I am gunna take this into account when drawing/painting my own series on how colour and brush strokes reflected his mental health.
Edvard MunchPainter of the famous and emotionally charged work, "The Scream," Edvard Munch is said to have suffered from depression, agoraphobia, a nervous breakdown and to have had hallucinations, one of which inspired "The Scream."The Norwegian artist said of the relationship between his mental illness and his work, "My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder ... my sufferings are part of my self and my art." it is really clear to see how he really threw his issues into his work and how each painting can really reflect a bigger picture that we may never understand.
Yayoi Kusama
Born in Matsumoto, Japan, she started using her visual language of painting with polka dots and nets as motifs at the early age of 10 to deal with mental health problems. Since 1977, Ms. Kusama has lived by choice in a mental hospital in Tokyo due to nervous disorders and hallucinations stemming from childhood. She continues to paint and create to this day in her artist studio across the street from the psychiatric hospital.
Yayoi Kusama has coped with severe psychological difficulties since she was a young child and even according to her own admission it is believed that her art is primarily inspired by the state of her mental health. Abused by her mother during her childhood, she began suffering from intense audio-visual hallucinations which have continued throughout her lifetime
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