Artist With Alzheimer’s Drew Self Portraits For 5 Years Until He Could Barely Remember His Own Face
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In 1995, U.K.-based American artist William Utermohlen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This is a difficult diagnosis and illness for anyone, but before his death in 2007, Utermohlen created a heart-wrenching final series of self-portraits over the stages of Alzheimer’s, which lasted roughly five years. Documenting the gradual decay of his mind, created incredibly stark drawings, which were even displayed to medical students as learning material.
Alzheimer’s symptoms not only include memory loss or dementia and personality changes but also affects the part of the brain, which is responsible for visualizing capabilities, so crucial for a painter. With Alzheimer’s progressing, the art becomes visibly more abstract, blurrier and vague, due to the loss of the aforementioned capabilities.
An essay by the artist’s widow Patricia explains exactly why these images are so powerful; “In these pictures we see with heart-breaking intensity William’s efforts to explain his altered self, his fears, and his sadness.” It’s hard to say whether the changes in his portraits came about due to the loss of his artistic skills or due to changes in his psyche but, in either case, they document the emotional turmoil of an artist watching his mind slip away from him bit by bit.
More info: williamutermohlen.org | newstatesman.com | nytimes.com (h/t: reddit)
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this is just heart wrenching to see this, I can only imagine what it did to his family.
We need to find a cure for this. Just too painful.
the mind is a terrible thing to go to waste. Let's just Pray that they find a cure for this horrific disease soon.
Agreed Carl typing "thoughts and prayers" is the new "I dont want talk about it, I just want it to go away" in combo with "look at me caring about something" It's almost like people just cut and paste the shit on every post as a default. News Flash: we need more research and funding and caregiver support. Try supporting that instead of typing that you'll pray about it.
Look at all the comments here "we need to find a cure for this", "this is just heart wrenching", and the comments in the style of "i lost my X to this disease, i just wish..." They all practically offer the same sentiment and effect as this "let's just pray they find a cure" comment, yet you focused in on this one because of the "pray" buzzword lmao
Said the insensitive b***h who clearly doesn’t understand the world. Seriously, who raised you? First of all, you said “Oh pRaYeRs ArEnT HeLpFuL AcTuAuLlY dOiNg SoMeThInG hElPs” not everyone is a medical professional and can do something big as of finding a cure for a horrible disease that easy. When people say their thoughts and prayers, they mean that even if they are not a medical professional they are showing support and sympathy for those who ARE medical professionals. Prayers are something some people do as a way of showing sympathy. But while everyone’s doing their best, you just wanna be that one piece of s**t that is the one not helping. What doesn’t help is being a d******d to people who are showing their sympathy by praying. So @laurawood back off and be quiet if you don’t have anything nice to say.
Prayer doesn't help. Actually doing something helps.
But being a dick to sentimentalists and well wishers who don't have the answers isn't one of those things that help.
The prayers of the world are often the world changers. It is often the praying people who do a lot in this world. Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi. The idea that prayer doesn't change things is fallacious.
There is nothing you can do in the end accept pray. Mere mortals have not control especially over this horror. Caregivers suffer too. The hardest thing I’ll ever do is sit with my mother while she went through. Unless I go there too. But then I won’t remember. 😩
Please cite your source. Oh wait, you can't.
Being a D**k to people for absolutely Zero reason doesnt help either.
This comment has been deleted.
Prayer will help the caregiver ! Without it , you loose your mind as well !
this is just heart wrenching to see this, I can only imagine what it did to his family.
We need to find a cure for this. Just too painful.
the mind is a terrible thing to go to waste. Let's just Pray that they find a cure for this horrific disease soon.
Agreed Carl typing "thoughts and prayers" is the new "I dont want talk about it, I just want it to go away" in combo with "look at me caring about something" It's almost like people just cut and paste the shit on every post as a default. News Flash: we need more research and funding and caregiver support. Try supporting that instead of typing that you'll pray about it.
Look at all the comments here "we need to find a cure for this", "this is just heart wrenching", and the comments in the style of "i lost my X to this disease, i just wish..." They all practically offer the same sentiment and effect as this "let's just pray they find a cure" comment, yet you focused in on this one because of the "pray" buzzword lmao
Said the insensitive b***h who clearly doesn’t understand the world. Seriously, who raised you? First of all, you said “Oh pRaYeRs ArEnT HeLpFuL AcTuAuLlY dOiNg SoMeThInG hElPs” not everyone is a medical professional and can do something big as of finding a cure for a horrible disease that easy. When people say their thoughts and prayers, they mean that even if they are not a medical professional they are showing support and sympathy for those who ARE medical professionals. Prayers are something some people do as a way of showing sympathy. But while everyone’s doing their best, you just wanna be that one piece of s**t that is the one not helping. What doesn’t help is being a d******d to people who are showing their sympathy by praying. So @laurawood back off and be quiet if you don’t have anything nice to say.
Prayer doesn't help. Actually doing something helps.
But being a dick to sentimentalists and well wishers who don't have the answers isn't one of those things that help.
The prayers of the world are often the world changers. It is often the praying people who do a lot in this world. Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi. The idea that prayer doesn't change things is fallacious.
There is nothing you can do in the end accept pray. Mere mortals have not control especially over this horror. Caregivers suffer too. The hardest thing I’ll ever do is sit with my mother while she went through. Unless I go there too. But then I won’t remember. 😩
Please cite your source. Oh wait, you can't.
Being a D**k to people for absolutely Zero reason doesnt help either.
This comment has been deleted.
Prayer will help the caregiver ! Without it , you loose your mind as well !