The Artist and Their Mental Health

Art is used as a means of outpouring and healing the deep areas of one's soul that would otherwise go undiscovered and not cared for. The theme of the "troubled artist" is reoccurring in the past and present media as the discussion of mental health becomes less taboo and more commonplace. As time marches on, the societal opinion of the mentally ill has changed drastically. Early in history, those who suffered from mental illnesses were said to be possessed, and they were murdered. Moving much farther forward into history, asylums were built to lock away the mentally ill from society. Many artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch, found themselves within the walls of these asylums. A word that once meant a safe place was now a place of unspeakable horror. In the 1800s, we see a trend of the mentally ill painted savagely and grotesquely. However, as the 1900's come about, depictions of mental health are softened and more personal, showing a more profound sense of emotion and not just "insanity." As we look upon the works created by those who were in deep pain and sorrow, we are called into a place of lamenting and joy. We mourn for the deep wounds their souls held, but we rejoice in their ability, even in times of mourning, to create works of art that have withstood the tests of time and shine light in dark places.  

 Vincent Van Gogh's Corridor in the Asylum. September 1889. Oil color and essence over black chalk on pink laid ("Ingres") paper. 25 5/8 x 19 3/8 in. (65.1 x 49.1 cm).
The Met Gallery. Van Gogh was a patient in the asylum of Saint-Remy, where he created many famous paintings such as The Irises and The Olive Trees. During his stay there, he wanted to create paintings that would show his brother how his accommodations looked. This work is part of a set of three drawings that show what the inside of the asylum looked like through his eyes. In his letters to his brother, he speaks of his time at Saint-Remy as one that was full of proper rest and creativity. Van Gogh's muddied pallet and twisted perspective help convey the eerie nature of the asylum.

Edvard Munch. The Scream. 1893.  oil, pastel, cardboard, tempera. 91 x 73.5 cm. National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. Accession Number: NG.M.00939. 

 The Scream is one of the most iconic paintings in art history because of how well it conveys its intended emotion. The off-centered figure is screaming while his body, and likely his mind, is spiraling. Munch found himself in asylums on multiple occasions and used art as a way to heal his wounds. This painting allows the viewer to step into someone else's reality. The man in the picture is spinning just as the sky and water behind him are, whereas the other figures in the painting are carrying on as usual. This painting accurately expresses what it feels like to live with mental illness. 

Van Gogh's self-portrait with bandaged ear. 1889. Oil, canvas. 60.5 x 50 cm. Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK. Accession number: P.1948.SC.175. 

Van Gogh paints himself with his self inflicted wound visible to all of the world forever. Van Gogh was not well-loved or admired during his time, and his rash action of cutting off his ear was one of the reasons why. He had epilepsy, which was accompanied by hallucinations, and it was during one of these horrible episodes that he cut off his ear to win the affections of a woman. His attempt did not work and sent him further into alienation from society. The loneliness and longing in his eyes convey the isolation that he experienced while battling mental illness.  

 

Théodore Géricault. Portrait of a Kleptomaniac. 1819-1822. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium. 1908-f. 

Géricault expresses the switch from seeing the mentally ill as broken humans to science experiments in this series of paintings he creates called "Monomania." His subjects are painted with dignity as they sit for a romantic style portrait. This man's face is bathed in a swath of light as the darkness around him is consuming him. The man in this portrait looks as though he is caught in a trance as his eyes water and his mouth starts to form a word. The darkness that surrounds him starts to become the focus of the painting the longer one looks at it. This conveys the pervasive feeling about the mentally ill at the time: the focus was on the science of what was going on behind their faces.

Frank Vizetelly. Women's Gallery, 1860. Bethlem. Engraving. The Illustrated London News 24 March 1860. 

This engraving shows the scientific nature in which the mentally ill were seen. The asylum that they were staying in, Bethlem in London, England, was built in such a way that scientists and doctors could view the patients from the outside without them ever knowing. Calling the space that they stayed in a gallery shows how experimental they were to the doctors. Some hurry about, some sit and knit, some look horrified. All of them, however, we're being watched. Artists and society have yet to come around to seeing the mentally ill as fully human. 

Francisco Goya. The Madhouse. 1812-1814. Oil, canvas. 45 x 72 cm. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid, Spain. Accession number 67.01. 

While the figures in Goya's painting are very grotesque, their humanity is still visible. The only light shining into the space is from a barred window high above where the people are crawling over one another, making them feel even smaller and more animal-like. They all seem to be reaching and fighting for the bits of light that seep through the bars. In the eyes of the few characters that look at the viewer, one can see a deep longing for a respite from the madness within themselves and the chamber. 

Jacob Lawrence. Depression. 1950. Tempera and watercolor on paper. 22 ¾ in x 31.
Whitney Museum of American Art. 66.98. 

Lawrence accurately titles his painting Depression because looking upon
it gives the viewer a sad feeling. The figures are all skulking and drooping as they walk
about the hospital. The faces that the viewer can see are marred with sadness and anguish.
Lawrence shows his figures trying to go about their daily activities while they fight off mental
illnesses. Due to his own experiences and struggles with mental illness, this painting
has another layer of depth that makes the pain of the figures feel even more real.
Instead of making them out to be animals crawling for the light,
he shows them as people trying to get by.