Explorations of Mental Health in Art
This week, the UK honours Mental Health Awareness Week, with this years’ theme surrounding the idea of movement, and the many benefits physical activity can have on our mental health.
With this week approaching, the Enter Gallery team started chatting about artists who’ve openly explored mental health in their art, whether via depictions of their own inner conflicts, or artworks designed to let people know that they’re not in it alone.
Our list of artists was extensive, with primary examples being some of the most infamous in art history, from Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, to Edvard Munch and Francis Bacon.
It’s no wonder that mental health has been explored by artists for centuries. After all, the act of creation is a deeply personal practice, an opportunity to express how you feel via the things that you create, and a way to forge connection in a world where it’s so easy to feel alone.
In today’s blog, we’re taking a look at what studies have said about the link between mental health and creativity, and diving in to how some of Enter Gallery’s artists have explored these themes in their own practice.
Image: Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889.
Date:
13 May 2024
