The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: A10. doi: 10.1192/bjp.191.3.A10
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatry in pictures
EDITED BY ALLAN BEVERIDGE
Do you have an image, preferably accompanied by 100 to 200 words of
explanatory text, that you think would be suitable for Psychiatry in Pictures?
Submissions are very welcome and should be sent direct to Dr Allan Beveridge,
Queen Margaret Hospital, Whitefield Road, Dunfermline, Fife KY12 0SU, UK.

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Javier Rodriguez (b. 1975). Malinconia. Commissioned for the
Conference on `Depression: Brain Causes, Body Consequences', in London,
2–3 April 2007, by Carmine M. Pariante. Text by Mathew Hurrell.
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Malinconia, by Venezuelan artist Javier Rodriguez, deals with one
of the most prominent mental health issues of recent times: depression.
Malinconia is the Italian word for melancholy. Depression and
melancholia can be viewed as one and the same thing.
The piece is a collage based on the Jan van Eyck painting Portrait of a
Man with a Turban, a famous work of the Northern Renaissance. From the
mouth down the picture is untouched retaining the classic Renaissance pose and
stoic expression. But from the nose up the picture is a distortion: a confused
jumble of images. This image of the Renaissance and all it entails –
discovery, progress and a greater understanding of the universe – is
juxtaposed with images of confusion and doubt, perfectly encapsulating the
milieu that so often leads to melancholy: that greater knowledge leads not to
greater understanding and certainty, but instead to more questions and
uncertainty.
The most powerful part of the piece is the man's eyes. Slightly off-centre,
they are where the face first becomes distorted. His eyes are the windows to
his melancholia, their downward slant conveying his angst.
Peering from within the folds of the turban are four eyes, indicating a
strong influence of the surrealist movement, who themselves were influenced by
psychoanalysis.
Rodriguez's works are intricate compositions made from antique books. This
mixture of old materials and modern technique perfectly encapsulates his
sensibility of classic ideas in a contemporary context. Please visit
http://www.javierrodriguez.co.uk
to see his work.