In 1995, at the age of 61, when the London-based American artist William Utermohlen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he embarked on a series of self portraits in an attempt to document and understand the degenerative progression of his dementia.
Above: self portraits from 1967, 1996, 1997 (x2), 1998, 1999 and 2000, when the artist was finally admitted to a nursing home where he ceased painting and died seven years later.
After his death, his widow Patricia recalled, “Even the time he was beginning to be ill, he was always always drawing, every minute of the day. I say he died in 2000, because he died when he couldn’t draw any more. He actually died in 2007, but it wasn’t him by then.”
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It’s a tragic illness. She’s spot on about the person vs the body.
He might have alzheimers, but at least he doesnt have alzheimers.
Despite the loss of dexterity and obvious affect it has on his drawing skills the composition never seems to suffer.
Each potrait looks like it was drawn in the style of a recognised artist.
He still seems to be very skilled artistically and technically in the last one, but yeah there is a loss of dexterity overall. Second last one seems full of despair. These self-portraits may be as much a record of his frustration with the disease as the disintegration of his ability.
Agree.The last one made me think of a Franis Bacon.A sort of mutilated posture.
Is it wrong to say that I think the work got better and better as the disease advanced?
Reminds me of Louis Wain.
http://imgur.com/gallery/15A60