Sequences proper: Geriatric/Physical illness patient 8 - "Henri"
- Date:
- 1977-1978
- Reference:
- PP/RSI/B/1/1/4
- Part of:
- Rita Simon Collection
- Archives and manuscripts
Collection contents
About this work
Description
18 artworks identified by Rita Simon's pseudonym "Henri". The descriptions of the artworks are taken from notes written by Wellcome staff during conversations with Rita Simon between 1995 and 1997.
Rita Simon's notes about the patient are in PP/RSI/A/3/3A.
Publication/Creation
1977-1978
Physical description
18 artworks
Biographical note
A geriatric female patient, aged approximately 86 when Rita Simon worked with her between 1977 and 1978. She had previously worked as a teacher but had broken her leg. "Henri" is discussed in The Symbolism of Style and in a paper jointly written by Rita Simon, published in the 1980s. When she was brought into hospital with a broken leg, she was disoriented and the hospital staff thought she was suffering with senile dementia and put her on drugs, although the doctor was not happy with this. She was not thought to be able to write, but she began to write after she started painting. The artworks are accompanied by Rita Simon's case notes.
About this patient, Rita Simon said: "She was a thinking person whose thinking ahd been damaged by old age and by entry into hospital (disorientation). The doctor was so busy, he couldn't study geriatric medicine, or do any research."
This information is taken from conversations between Rita Simon and Wellcome staff between 1995 and 1997.