Bryan Charnley’s art represents the serious effects Schizophrenia has on your mind. Diagnosed at 18 Bryan Charnley had to drop out of Leicester School of Art in order to combat his mental health disorder; Schizophrenia. In 1978, around the age 29, he began to paint again. In 1982, he began to address his inner life and his condition within his paintings.
Bryan’s life ended sadly, he committed suicide in 1991 with a painting left on his easel. This painting was part of 17 self-portraits Bryan he done whilst experimenting with his medication. Medication helps to stop symptoms of Schizophrenia and help people to cope with daily life without the worry of symptoms arising.
It is this collection of work that I am interested in because, with each painting, you gradually see Bryan’s symptoms returning. They become scarier and more frightening. You start to see what he must have been feeling and how his disorder was gradually taking over his mind.
Below is the link to his website which shows his portraits in order with a small summary of each on the left.
http://www.bryancharnley.info/1portriat.asp
I was particularly interested in portrait 2 because it really emphasises how much some people with Schizophrenia need their medication. Bryan had only cut back a little on his medication by the second portrait, and already the painting looks dark and deep, a complete contrast to his first self-portrait. The painting is made up of dark blues and browns. He looks confused, and in the background there looks to be an eye. In the summary he explains that he was feeling paranoid and felt sensitive to human voices (this explains the rabbit-ear as he felt like a wild animal). I think you can really see the paranoia coming through the painting because of the eye staring at him from behind.
I was also really interested in portrait number 9. It is a very bizarre painting; very ambiguous and abstract. The lips around the outside could possibly signify the voices he was hearing. In the summary, it says he had hallucinations. This painting must be portraying how he saw himself during these hallucinations.
It is amazing to go through these paintings, one by one and see how his mind and his grasp on reality dilapidated and became obscured. He was an excellent artist and it is sad to hear of someone so young and talented die in such an unpleasant state. 
oil onthe canvas 