Mental Health and Art: Artistic Expression I

As I look at my works cumulatively, I come to the conclusion that my main concern is to represent varying mental illnesses such as anxiety, claustrophobia, or bipolar disorder. I am really into psychology and expression, and the synthesis of the two since I am also suffering from severe anxiety for a very long time. Therefore, it is quite a personal issue as well. 

Mental illnesses have been represented many times throughout art history. For instance, Northern Renaissance artists often depicted mental illness through the lens of spiritual experience and symbolism. An example of this kind of representation can be Matthias Grunewald's "The Temptation of Saint Anthony". He uses religious allegories, such as demons to convey a certain psychological state. 


Matthias Grunewald, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1510-1515


Another significant example can be the Romantic Age. In this era, extreme states of mind were romanticized and a solid example can be Francisco Goya. In one of his works, "The Sleep of reason produces monsters" he inserts himself as the subject and he uses symbolism through the use of bats and owls to represent his own mental state. 


Francisco Goya, The sleep of reason produces monsters, 1799

Lastly, I can give some examples from my own work. In my photo series "Astigmatism",  I aimed to represent the feeling of uncertainty and the tension it creates, since uncertainty is the main thing that triggers my anxiety. I am very much influenced by the art movement, Expressionism and I much prefer to evoke the feeling through expression rather than solid representation or allegory, especially when it comes to photography. 







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