concept

3rd self-portrait.

13th self-portrait.

Broken windmill.

Where the soft winds blow.

10th self-portrait.

Tree of life.

6th self-portrait.

1st self-portrait.

5th self-portrait.

Bryan Charnley Self-portraits.

1 painting : oil on canvas ; 50.6 x 50.9 cm

7th self-portrait.

"An estimated 1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental illness during our lifetime. Those suffering have to face a wall of stigma and stereotyping which can often make their condition worse. Big Brother is an intimate photographic portrait of Louis Quail's older brother, Justin, and his daily struggle with schizophrenia. The condition is severe and Justin has been sectioned three times in his life. Yet, as the book shows, there is much more to him than his illness. He has interests, hobbies (painting and poetry and especially birdwatching). He also has love; he has been with his girlfriend, Jackie, for over 20 years. By showing the person beyond the illness, Big Brother challenges stigma head on. It reveals a system in crisis; under resourced and creaking under the weight of its own bureaucracy, but it also discovers important truths on the nature of resilience. At its heart, though, Big Brother is a love story. The book includes extensive texts to tell Justin's story. The complexity of his life is reflected in the complex structure of the book which incorporates a number of inserts that provide a deep insight into Justin's world through extracts from medical reports, police records and from his own notebooks. The book also includes many of Justin's drawings and paintings as well as a separate booklet featuring both these and his poetry." -- Publisher's description

195 pages (2 folded page), 28 unnumbered pages : colour illustrations, portraits ; 27 cm + 1 booklet (16 pages : color illustrations ; 21 cm)

Big brother / Louis Quail.

1 painting : oil on canvas ; 50.6 x 50.6 cm

14th self-portrait.

Two hanging jackets facing forwards, one jacket has ties suggestive of a straitjacket, the other is worn by a figure playing a wind instrument. A syringe lies on the ground, the letters D.A.M. are written in a rear view mirror.

1 painting : oil on canvas ; 101.3 x 96.7 cm

Angel and straitjacket.

Outline of a head with crosses representing the eyes and mouth surrounded by multiple paint marks in blue, green, orange and yellow. The text in the painting reads LOVE HURTS.

1 painting : oil on canvas ; 50.6 x 50.8 cm

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Art and mental illness

Images

Catalogue

7th self-portrait.

Big brother / Louis Quail.

14th self-portrait.

Angel and straitjacket.

3rd self-portrait.

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Art and mental illness

Images

Catalogue

7th self-portrait.

Big brother / Louis Quail.

14th self-portrait.

Angel and straitjacket.

3rd self-portrait.

Wellcome Collection

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