Geriatric/Physical illness patient 13 "Bridie"
- Date:
- 1977-1978
- Reference:
- PP/RSI/B/1/4/9
- Part of:
- Rita Simon Collection
- Archives and manuscripts
Collection contents
About this work
Description
31 artworks identified by Rita Simon's pseudonym "Bridie".
Publication/Creation
1977-1978
Physical description
31 artworks
Biographical note
A woman, aged 82, a stroke patient, paraplegic, confused speech, very depressed, not clear in her mind. She had very little movement; physiotherapy had given up, her only hand movements were circular. She was badly disabled, her muscles were contracted and very tense. She adored paint, had a fine sense of colour and soon got out of the depression when she was painting. At Christmas there was an exhibition in the paintings room, and when she was wheeled in, she cried out "I don't see my painting!", using her full lungs for the first time, to the amazement of the nurses. The paintings are accompanied by the art therapy case notes. They start in September 1977 and go into 1978. She is described in The symbolism of style, pp. 92-94, under the pseudonym "Bridie".
This information is taken from conversations between Rita Simon and Wellcome staff between 1995 and 1997.