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Painting “Mania”
Journal of Affective Disorders 128 (2011) 319–320
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Affective Disorders j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / j a d
Brief report
Painting “Mania” Janusz K. Rybakowski ⁎ Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, ul.Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 3 June 2010 Accepted 17 July 2010 Available online 7 August 2010 Keywords: Mania Melancholia Painting
a b s t r a c t Bipolar mood disorder (manic-depressive illness) has many artistic references, especially in the painting domain, depicting moods and associated features. The title of some paintings directly refers to the psychopathological state of the disorder. There are a great number of painting masterpieces showing the depressive pole of manic-depressive illness. In some paintings bearing the title Melancholia, some admixture of the opposite manic pole can be traced, the phenomenon named today as “mixed depressive state”. On the other hand, a painting depicting a pure manic pole, as an element of bipolar mood disorder is very difficult to find. However, it seems that such criteria could be met by the painting presented on the next page entitled “Mania” whose author is Florencio Yllana, a contemporary artist of Philippine origin (born 1977), studying in USA and presently living in Brazil. The painting was done in 2001 following the acute manic episode in the course of bipolar mood disorder in the artist. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bipolar mood disorder (manic-depressive illness) has many artistic references, especially in the painting domain, depicting moods and associated features. The title of some paintings directly refers to the psychopathological state of the disorder. There are a great number of painting masterpieces showing the depressive pole of manic-depressive illness. During the recent exhibition “Melancholie, Genie und Wahnsinn in der Kunst”, which took place in the National Museums in Berlin in 2006, among about 200 paintings, twenty-seven had the title Melancholia as one word or as an element of the title. At the heart of the exhibition, Albrecht Dürer's famous print “Melencolia I” created in 1514 was displayed (Clair, 2006). However, as Akiskal and Akiskal (2007) have suggested recently, in some paintings bearing the title Melancholia, some admixture of the opposite manic pole can be traced, the phenomenon named today as “mixed depressive state”. They indicated such features in the famous painting “Melancholia” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1532). Similar bipolar features can be found in the painting “Melancholia” made by Polish painter Jacek Malczewski
⁎ Tel.: + 48 61 8475 087; fax: + 48 61 8480 392. E-mail address: [email protected]. 0165-0327/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2010.07.019
(1894), described in my book on manic-depressive illness (Rybakowski, 2009). On the other hand, a painting depicting a pure manic pole, as an element of bipolar mood disorder is very difficult to find. However, it seems that such criteria could be met by the painting presented on the next page entitled “Mania” whose author is Florencio Yllana, a contemporary artist of Philippine origin (born 1977), studying in the USA and presently living in Brazil. The painting was done in 2001 following the acute manic episode in the course of bipolar mood disorder in the artist. A variety of intensive bright colors, the dragon and human-like creatures stemming from the head of the crawling warrior figure can reflect the flamboyant mood as well as the generation and flight of crazy ideas, characteristic of a manic episode. To my knowledge, this may be the only painting titled “Mania” where the title has been used in the contemporarily correct psychiatric meaning of the word. Presently, the painting belongs to the collection of the author of this commentary (Fig. 1).
Role of funding source Nothing declared.
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J.K. Rybakowski / Journal of Affective Disorders 128 (2011) 319–320
Fig. 1. Painting “Mania” by Florencio Yllana. Conflict of interest The author declares no conflict of interest connected with this paper.
Acknowledgement Thanks are due to Florencio Yllana, the author of this painting, for our special and extraordinary relationship in recent years.
References Akiskal, H.S., Akiskal, K.K., 2007. A mixed state core for melancholia: an exploration in history, art and clinical science. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 115 (Suppl. 433), 44–49. Clair, J. (Ed.), 2006. Melancholie. Genie und Wahnsinn in der Kunst. Hatje Cantz Verlag, Berlin. Rybakowski, J., 2009. The Faces of Manic-Depressive Illness. Termedia Wydawnictwa Medyczne, Poznan.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Affective Disorders j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / j a d
Brief report
Painting “Mania” Janusz K. Rybakowski ⁎ Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, ul.Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 3 June 2010 Accepted 17 July 2010 Available online 7 August 2010 Keywords: Mania Melancholia Painting
a b s t r a c t Bipolar mood disorder (manic-depressive illness) has many artistic references, especially in the painting domain, depicting moods and associated features. The title of some paintings directly refers to the psychopathological state of the disorder. There are a great number of painting masterpieces showing the depressive pole of manic-depressive illness. In some paintings bearing the title Melancholia, some admixture of the opposite manic pole can be traced, the phenomenon named today as “mixed depressive state”. On the other hand, a painting depicting a pure manic pole, as an element of bipolar mood disorder is very difficult to find. However, it seems that such criteria could be met by the painting presented on the next page entitled “Mania” whose author is Florencio Yllana, a contemporary artist of Philippine origin (born 1977), studying in USA and presently living in Brazil. The painting was done in 2001 following the acute manic episode in the course of bipolar mood disorder in the artist. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bipolar mood disorder (manic-depressive illness) has many artistic references, especially in the painting domain, depicting moods and associated features. The title of some paintings directly refers to the psychopathological state of the disorder. There are a great number of painting masterpieces showing the depressive pole of manic-depressive illness. During the recent exhibition “Melancholie, Genie und Wahnsinn in der Kunst”, which took place in the National Museums in Berlin in 2006, among about 200 paintings, twenty-seven had the title Melancholia as one word or as an element of the title. At the heart of the exhibition, Albrecht Dürer's famous print “Melencolia I” created in 1514 was displayed (Clair, 2006). However, as Akiskal and Akiskal (2007) have suggested recently, in some paintings bearing the title Melancholia, some admixture of the opposite manic pole can be traced, the phenomenon named today as “mixed depressive state”. They indicated such features in the famous painting “Melancholia” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1532). Similar bipolar features can be found in the painting “Melancholia” made by Polish painter Jacek Malczewski
⁎ Tel.: + 48 61 8475 087; fax: + 48 61 8480 392. E-mail address: [email protected]. 0165-0327/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2010.07.019
(1894), described in my book on manic-depressive illness (Rybakowski, 2009). On the other hand, a painting depicting a pure manic pole, as an element of bipolar mood disorder is very difficult to find. However, it seems that such criteria could be met by the painting presented on the next page entitled “Mania” whose author is Florencio Yllana, a contemporary artist of Philippine origin (born 1977), studying in the USA and presently living in Brazil. The painting was done in 2001 following the acute manic episode in the course of bipolar mood disorder in the artist. A variety of intensive bright colors, the dragon and human-like creatures stemming from the head of the crawling warrior figure can reflect the flamboyant mood as well as the generation and flight of crazy ideas, characteristic of a manic episode. To my knowledge, this may be the only painting titled “Mania” where the title has been used in the contemporarily correct psychiatric meaning of the word. Presently, the painting belongs to the collection of the author of this commentary (Fig. 1).
Role of funding source Nothing declared.
320
J.K. Rybakowski / Journal of Affective Disorders 128 (2011) 319–320
Fig. 1. Painting “Mania” by Florencio Yllana. Conflict of interest The author declares no conflict of interest connected with this paper.
Acknowledgement Thanks are due to Florencio Yllana, the author of this painting, for our special and extraordinary relationship in recent years.
References Akiskal, H.S., Akiskal, K.K., 2007. A mixed state core for melancholia: an exploration in history, art and clinical science. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 115 (Suppl. 433), 44–49. Clair, J. (Ed.), 2006. Melancholie. Genie und Wahnsinn in der Kunst. Hatje Cantz Verlag, Berlin. Rybakowski, J., 2009. The Faces of Manic-Depressive Illness. Termedia Wydawnictwa Medyczne, Poznan.