10th self-portrait.

  • Charnley, Bryan, 1949-1991
Date:
23 May 1991
Reference:
3049696i
Part of:
Bryan Charnley Self-portraits.
  • Pictures
  • Online

Available online

view 10th self-portrait.

Contains: 2 images

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

You can use this work for any purpose, as long as it is not primarily intended for or directed to commercial advantage or monetary compensation. You should also provide attribution to the original work, source and licence. Read more about this licence.

Credit

10th self-portrait. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Online resources

  • Related materials at Wellcome Library See the related archive PP/BCH: View resource

About this work

Also known as

Tenth self-portrait.

Publication/Creation

23 May 1991.

Physical description

1 painting : oil on canvas ; 51 x 51 cm

Biographical note

Charnley's diary entry reads: "I really tire of having to explain my paintings. it is very much my tragedy that people cannot understand the straight forward poetic use of symbols I am employing. the blue of the portrait is there because I felt depressed through cutting back on anti-depressants. The wavy lines are because, just as I felt I was safe, a voice from the street gutted me emotionally by it's E.S.P. of my condition... At this stage my central worry was thought broadcasting. This would pass as I gained insight and the effects of drug withdrawal wore off".
Bryan Charnley (1949-1991) was a British artist whose work illustrates his experiences of schizophrenia. In 1969 he enrolled on a BA in sculpture at the Central School of Art and Design, but left due to a breakdown. He started painting in 1978, and from the late 1980s he began to get recognition for his work, with Bethlem Royal Hospital purchasing four of his paintings. From 1987 to his death he kept a dream diary as a way of understanding his own mind. In March 1991 he decided to experiment with his medication and embarked on a series of self-portraits, a series which exposed his mental illness. The series was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London, in 1995. He took his own life in July 1991.

Reference

Bryan Charnley. 1991. 10th self-portrait. [Oil on canvas]. Wellcome Collection 3049696i

References note

Charnley, J. (2018). Bryan Charnley: art and adversity, page 177.

Exhibitions note

Exhibited in ‘Bryan Charnley self-portraits: face to face with schizophrenia’ at the National Portrait Gallery, London, 21 July – 3 December 1995.

Notes

Title provided by the Estate of Bryan Charnley.
Dated 23.5.91 on recto. Numbered 10 on verso.

Ownership note

Purchased by Wellcome Collection in 2018 from the Estate of Bryan Charnley.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link