The document discusses how 19th century mental and physical illnesses affected several famous artists. It describes the harsh conditions of early asylums and improvements that began in the mid-1800s. Francisco de Goya suffered from deafness and illnesses that may have been syphilis or lead poisoning, influencing his dark paintings dealing with madness. Vincent van Gogh exhibited symptoms of bipolar disorder and other illnesses and created many self-portraits while committed to an asylum. Camille Claudel suffered from depression and paranoid psychosis after her relationship with Rodin ended. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec had a genetic disorder and drank heavily, contributing to his early death from alcoholism and syphilis.

1. 19th Century Mental and Physical illness and
how it affects artists.
Illness:“a disease or period of sickness affecting
the body and mind.”
Mental Illness:”any of various disorders in which
a person's thoughts, emotions, or behavior are
so abnormal as to cause suffering to himself,
herself, or other people.”

2. locking up the crazies
• Early asylums were dirty and cruel places.
• Asylums were not meant to help the mentally ill, rather they were
institutions where the mentally ill were abandoned by relatives or
sentenced by law to retrieve inhumane treatment to prevent any
disturbance in the community
• Patients we locked up like animals in a cage and sometimes shackled to
walls in damp dark cells
• in some cases, the patients shackled to the wall had only enough
movement to feed themselves but not enough to lay down at night
• conditions begun to improve in mid-1800’s
• One facility in Devon, England used opium, leeches and purges to cure
mental illness but in the mid-1800’s emphasized non restraint methods to
affect patient’s health.
• Humanitarianism and concern for mentally ill became more of a priority in
the 1800’s

3. Francisco de Goya
• survived 2 near fatal illnesses and was increasingly impatient and anxious of
relapse.
• first serious illness- difficulty walking, partial blindness and partial deafness.
• Theories of this illness were syphilis, polio, menières disease or lead poisoning
• he remained partially deaf
• he seemed to fear insanity so much that it drove him to feel insane
• many of Goya’s paintings deal explicitly with madness and insanity
• fun fact: Goya’s wife had as many as 20 pregnancies, of which only 5 reached
term and only one son survived.

4. De Goya’s Black paintings
Black Paintings included 14 paintings between 1819-1823
themes reflected both his fear of insanity and his bleak
outlook on humanity
The paintings were never meant to be viewed publicly, they
were painted on the walls of his home.
the paintings were dark and disturbing and they were not
commissioned.
They were transferred to canvas in 1873

6. Vincent Van Gogh
• sudden terror
• chest and abdominal pains
• lapses of consciousness
• depression
• symptoms of bipolar disorder
• anxiety
• seizures
• absinthism- Defined as “ variety of alcoholism, acute or chronic, caused by
abuse of Absinthe, and leading to mania and softening the brain.”
• Syphilis and a form of gonorrhea “or, as Vincent called it, the clap.”
It is argued that he had porphyria ( a rare hereditary disease in
which the blood pigment hemoglobin is abnormally
metabolized) and it could be brought on by exposure to
chemicals, like paints and fasting and alcohol.

7. Vincent Van Gogh-Self Portrait-1889.
-This piece was created at the asylum
at St. Rémy, where Van Gogh had
committed himself during a mental
breakdown. This piece is among the
last self portraits he made.
Van Gogh made nearly 36 portraits of
himself over a 10 year period.
Van Gogh believe strongly that only
work could restore his health.

8. Camille Claudel
• . Claudel suffered from depression
• she was never diagnosed
• she had a morbid personality
• considered a paranoiac systematized chronic delirious patient
now referred to schizophrenic paranoid psychosis.
• She had an abortion with Auguste Rodin, famous sculptor an
the also refused marriage to her.
• after their break up, she started accusing Rodin of stealing her
ideas and leading a conspiracy to kill her

9. A heart broken
Claudel: Rodin
leading forward with
his wife and Camille
is trying to stop him
from leaving.
This piece is often
considered Claudel’s
pièce de résistance.

10. Henri de Toulouse Lautrec
• Toulouse Lautrec- a post impressionist, art nouveau artist. Born with congenital health
conditions. His parents were first cousins so his disorders were due to inbreeding. His legs
did not grow while his trunk did. Because of this disorder he immersed himself in art. This
genetic disorder was also known as Toulouse-Lautrec disorder.
• Since he was mocked, he often drank and later started drinking a lot of Absinthe and
cognac.
• to insure he always had alcohol, he hollowed out his cane and filled it with alcohol.
• He later died from alcoholism and syphilis which he contracted from a prostitute named
Rosa la Rouge which was often his subject.

11. Henri de Toulouse-
Lautrec “Portrait of
Vincent Van Gogh”
1887
Lautrec has been accused of
introducing Vincent to absinthe in
Paris in 1886-1888.
Van Gogh is sitting with a glass of
Absinthe in this pastel painting.