Written by Sarah Angelone
Edited by Shivani Shah
Depression is a unique feeling that is nearly impossible to understand in the absence of familiarity. Though, the feeling can graciously be translated through the sentiments of artwork. “Depression” by Jacob Lawrence is a piece in Lawrence’s Hospital series that beautifully depicts this isolating state. The painting was made during Lawrence’s time at the Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York while receiving psychiatric treatment for exhaustion and depression. The painting takes place within the hospital, depicting the various rooms and patients throughout. The patients can be seen standing statically, heads pulled towards the brown-tiled floor. This mimics the exhaustion ridden by depression. There exists such a lack of energy that one cannot even lift one's head- a clear representation of fatigue and hopelessness as the patients wander with no direction. The painting is coated in muted greens to show the utter absence of vibrancy and life in these facilities and the feelings of the patients with depression.
References:
Depression [Jacob Lawrence] | Sartle. (2023, January 8). Sartle. https://www.sartle.com/artwork/depression-jacob-lawrence
Wheat, E. H., Lawrence, J., & Hills, P. (1986). Jacob Lawrence: American Painter. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA27838627
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