Download The Role of Ocular Disease in Art

The Role
of Ocular
Disease in
Art
By: Alessandra
Sugrañes
Several world renowned artists have dealt with
and experienced ocular disease that has greatly
influenced their art. Before the 20th century the
major problems plaguing artists were due to aging
such as cataracts. Once cataract surgery became a
practical option, diseases such as glaucoma and
retinal ailments became the main afflictions. Artists
like Monet and Degas had their lives and their art
severely change due to their eye disease. By
investigating the causes, progress, and treatment of
their ocular disease I hope to gain a better
understanding of how different ocular ailments have
influenced the perspective and production of art of
different artists.
Monet
Claude Monet (1840-1926) was arguably the most
famous Impressionist, and one of the most well
known artists today. In 1912, Monet was
diagnosed with bilateral cataracts. He had been
struggling with color perception for a couple of
years before then. This was a big problem for him
because his artistic career focused on the
perception of color and light. He refused surgery
until 1923 when he only had light perception in his
right eye. He underwent surgery in the right eye
only.
Claude Monet, The Japanese Footbridge, 1899. Oil on canvas.8
During the years when Monet’s vision was
severely compromised by his cataract his painting
changed drastically. They went from focusing on a
naturalistic style (above) to a more abstract and
obscure representation of the same object (left).
His later works were full of dense swirls and loose
strokes of color. In his earlier works he uses more
representative colors, several greens and blues.
His later paintings featured several maroons,
rusts, and oranges, which had not been seen often
in his earlier works.
Claude Monet, The Japanese Footbridge, 1920-22. Oil on Canvas.9
After cataract surgery Monet
became severely depressed due to
the slow and painstaking recovery at
the time. It was not until 1925 that
he fully recovered and had normal
vision in his right eye. Monet
continued to paint after his surgery
and his paintings more closely
resembled his earlier works (Figure
6, 7). He never again used such
vivid colors or broad strokes as he
did during his cataract days.
Claude Monet. Water Lilies, 1906. Oil on canvas10
The painting
above was
done before
Monet was
afflicted with
cataracts, and
the one to the
right is after his
cataract
surgery and
recovery. Both
works are of
similar style.
Claude Monet. Water Lilies: Morning with Weeping Willows, 1915-1926. Oil on canvas2
Degas
Edgar Degas was a French Impressionist well known for his depiction of the human
form through his art. He had a healthy and relatively visually unimpaired youth
followed by a long-lasting incapacitating blindness that ultimately led him to sacrifice
his love of painting. It is known that he suffered from a retinal disease, but the details
remain unknown because his ophthalmologist’s records are no longer in existence.
He frequently complained of intolerance to bright light, blurring in parts of his visual
fields, as well as a blind spot in the center of his visual field. His visual problems
plagued him for the greater part of his life, and led his art to
change through time. This early painting of his (left) shows
great precision and detail in his paintings, whereas in his
later works (right) he could no longer portray faces or hands
and his painting is much coarser. He ultimately was forced
to quit painting and turn to sculpting, where the use of his
hands greatly helped him, as his form of artistic expression.
Edgar Degas, Two Dancers on a Stage, 1874. Oil on Canvas.14
Figure
10: Edgar
Degas,
Two
Dancers
Resting I,
1910-12.
Pastel on
Paper2
A surprising number of artists were stricken by eye disease, many more than
the few I have mentioned in this presentation. There are artists who were
afflicted at a young age, such as Degas, and found amazing ways to let it
sway their art. There are also artists like Monet, who changed their style
without knowing, creating beautiful abstract pieces of art. Through this
presentation I hoped to point out the way eye disease played a major role in
these artists lives, which was transmitted through their art. Their ocular
problem was always in the back of their mind, whether the artists were trying
to camouflage it or trying to incorporate it, it was constantly present and
ultimately expressed itself in their art.
References:
1.
"How Your Eyes Work." How Your Eyes Work. American Optometric Association, 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
2.
The Artist's Eyes: Vision and the History of Art (01 October 2009) by Michael F. Marmor, James G. Ravin
3.
Trobe, Jonathan, MD. "The Eyes Have It: Principal Ophthalmic Conditions." The Eyes Have It: Principal Ophthalmic Conditions. The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
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Sweet, Frederick A. "Mary Cassatt." The Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 48.1 (1954): 4-9. JSTOR. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4117464?origin=JSTOR-pdf.
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Kline, Don, Dr. "Art, Vision, and the Disordered Eye." Mary Cassatt. The Vision and Aging Lab, University of Calgary, 10 Oct. 2002. Web.
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Auricchio, Laura. "Claude Monet (1840–1926)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm (October 2004)
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Kline, Don, Dr. "Art, Vision, and the Disordered Eye." Claude Monet. The Vision and Aging Lab, University of Calgary, 10 Oct. 2002. Web.
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https://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg85/gg85-74796.html
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http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79254
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http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/16568
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Trevor-Roper, Patrick. The World Through Blunted Sight. N.p.: Penguin Group, 1990. Print.
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Kendall, Richard. "Degas and the Contingency of Vision." The Burlington Magazine 130.1020 (1988): 180-216. JSTOR. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/883345.
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Kendall, Richard. "Degas: Vision and Perception." British Journal of Visual Impairment 6.3 (1988): 105-10. Web.
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http://www.edgar-degas.org/Two-Dancers-on-a-Stage,-c.1874.html
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Kline, Don, Dr. "Art, Vision, and the Disordered Eye." Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. The Vision and Aging Lab, University of Calgary, 10 Oct. 2002. Web.
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Marmor, Michael. "Inside the Eye of the Beholder." Tate Etc 25 (2012): n. pag. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/inside-eye-beholder.
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Lynes, Barbara B. "Visiting Georgia O'Keeffe." Chicago Journals: The Smithsonian American Art Museum 20.3 (2006): 2-7. JSTOR. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511089.
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http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/2096/Rams_Head_White_Hollyhock-Hills_Rams_Head_and_White_Hollyhock_New_Mexico