To my daughter I will say, ‘When the men come, set yourself on fire’ – In love and In War, Warsan Shire “Teaching My Mother…
“Touched With Fire” is an exploration of bipolar disorder, art, and the difficulties of maintaining a relationship while coping with mental health issues. This film,…
This funny yet poignant cartoon by Ryan Pequin of Three Word Phrase captures one of the realities of depression. Individuals suffering from this debilitating illness…
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist of Haitian-Puerto Rican parentage whose art reflected his obsession with capturing the dualities of life and the broader social…
Ilya Repin (1844-1930) was a realist painter and arguably the most renowned Russian painter of the 19th century. His most vivid works capture the poignant…
Legendary poet, songwriter, novelist, and musician, Leonard Cohen died in November 2016. Known for his melancholy tones, as well as his thought-provoking and deeply emotive…
Edvard Munch, famous for his work “The Scream“, was one of many Post-Impressionists who illustrated their experiences with mental illness. His work “Melancholy” depicts the…
This photograph shows a mural from the Berlin Wall, which was constructed by the Soviet Union in 1961 to separate East and West Germany. The…
‘The Suicide of Dorothy Hale’ is considered one of the most controversial paintings by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The piece depicts the suicide of…
“Armatage Shanks” is a song written by Billy Joe Armstrong of the band Green Day when he was devastated after a break up and said…
In her painting, “Smile she commanded,” MistressVitinari depicts the struggles of those living with depression when they are told to smile, thereby minimizing their internal…
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. It is thought that Dickinson is comparing her mental health to…
Vincent Van Gogh’s 1888 piece, The Night Café, is perhaps not as well-known and celebrated as his Café Terrace at Night, but proves a fascinating…
Make Happy is the most recent comedy special by actor/comedian/musician Bo Burnham, and is Burnham’s commentary on the social structure that the “social media” generation…
Leon Golub’s powerful paintings present visual images of man’s inhumanity to man, abuse of power, violence, and war. Painted more than thirty years ago, his…
Loyola University recently hosted an exhibit on the works of William Utermohlen, an artist who documented his battle with Alzheimer’s disease through self-portraits over a…
Gustave Courbet’s “The Desperate Man” is a self-portrait that alludes to a connection between artistic genius and psychological distress, a common theme in the Romantic…
‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’ is an etching by painter Francisco Goya in 1799 of the artist sleeping while nightmarish creatures fly above him….
The poem ‘Requiem’ by Anna Akhmatova documents the trauma and suffering of the Russian people under Joseph Stalin. The poem was conceived as she waited…
For the past six years, Melissa Spitz of St. Louis, Missouri has been using photography to illustrate her mother’s experience with mental illness, referring to…
