Bryan Charnley (1949 - 1991)

Bryan Charnley

Bryan Charnley was a British artist who had paranoid schizophrenia, and explored its effects in his work. In the summer of 1968, aged 18, he had a nervous breakdown but was able to study at Leicester School of Art later that year. In 1969, Charnley gained a place at the Central School of Art and Design in Holborn, London, but was unable to complete the course due to another breakdown that was later diagnosed as acute schizophrenia. In 1978 he moved to Bedford and began painting. Charnley's work during this period drew heavily on photo-realism, then enjoying popularity in America, and he produced many large-scale paintings of flowers. In 1982, Charnley painted a double portrait of himself and his partner Pam. Charnley had been exploring his inner life through painting since at least 1982, particularly addressing the experience of schizophrenia. From 1987 onwards, he increasingly drew on Sigmund Freud's theories about dreams, using elaborate symbolism to convey his mental state. In 1991 he painted a series of self portraits chronicling his experience as he reduced his medication. He made the diary an integral part of the portraits using the text to explain the imagery he was using and to describe his existential state.

Wikipedia

Date and place of birt:	20 september 1949, Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom
Date and place of death:	19 july 1991, United Kingdom
Nationality:	United Kingdom
Period of activity:	XX century
Specialization:	Artist, Painter, Portraitist
Genre:	Portrait, Self-portrait
Art style:	Contemporary art, Photorealism