Geriatric/Physical illness patient 9 - depressed polyarthritic

16 artworks identified by Rita Simon as Patient 9 - depressed polyarthritic. Rita Simon's case notes are in PP/RSI/A/3/4.

The descriptions of the artworks are taken from notes written by Wellcome staff during conversations with Rita Simon between 1995 and 1997:

This is another case in which there is a remarkable contrast in proficiency between the first and the last painting in the sequence.

Jane was seventy-eight and had been in hospital for three years, confined to a wheelchair. Her doctor considered her clinically depressed but when she joined the small group of patients who wished to paint together she immediately perked up and wanted to come early. Otherwise, she would have to be sitting in a circle of wheelchairs arranged in a way that they couldn't turn to talk to their neighbours. Jane first drew with charcoal but she preferred to work with felt-tipped pens, later adding flat areas of body colour to fill in the larger spaces. Dated 1977-1978.

The artworks are accompanied by the case notes.

This information is taken from conversations between Rita Simon and Wellcome staff between 1995 and 1997, and Rita Simon's book Symbolic Images in Art As Therapy, pages 102-107.