Madwoman With A Mania Of Envy Summary

Early 19th-century painter Theodore Gericault was very fascinated by the human mind. With a family and personal history of mental illness, Gericault strove to depict the darker and more mysterious aspects of life in his artwork. As a Romanticist, Gericault attempted to communicate intense human experience through his paintings; his piece Madwoman with a Mania of Envy, for example, is one of several of Gericault’s portraits of the insane possessing a peculiar hypnotic power (Gardner 654). Originally, the series was not intended for public display, but instead were painted by the request of a friend—psychiatrist named Etienne-Jean Georget. Modeling his psychiatric patients at the Salpetriere, Dr. Georget envisioned a series of paintings that would capture the inner workings of the human mind and offer a detailed description of each of their facial features (Robbins 1).
During this time, many believed that a persons face was the window to their soul.
Some even claimed that an illness could be detected from facial expressions (Robbins 1). Gericault illuminated an elderly woman whom was suffering a mental illness in his painting, Madwoman with a Mania of Envy (Robbins 2). While at a first glance this woman may have appeared completely normal, a closer look at Gericault’s loose brushstrokes may expose the unraveling of the woman’s mind. Her mouth is tense, she is wearing a worried expression, and her eyes are rimmed with red as if she hasn’t slept in days. Her messy gray hair and untidy clothing suggest that she may be feeling confused and disordered with her life at large (Meyer
1).
While viewing this piece of art, I was overwhelmed with the reality of the imperfections of the human being. To many, the wrinkles around the eye can be seen as negative attributes that come with aging. To me, these wrinkles represent much more than lines and creases that appear in one’s skin as they age. I see these wrinkles as something one has to earn—something that only the most fortunate of humans are capable of acquiring in their time on this earth. Some people never make it to the part of life where wrinkles such as these have made it to the surface. These lines represent a lifetime of emotions and thoughts that are unique to each and every individual. Whether it’s one of joy, deep thinking, problem solving, laughter, etc., each wrinkle signifies an experience that is comprised with a story and a point of view. I feel engulfed with a fascination for the importance of perspective in order to understand the human mind. As I think about perspective, I look into the eyes of the subject and try to empathize with their emotion. Each set of eyes has seen a lifetime of experiences. They have seen a childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. They have seen dependability, vulnerability, mistakes, success, trust, love, and hate. They have seen a war. They have seen happiness and they have seen depression. They have seen a hardship that they had to overcome to be where they are today. They have seen what hard work looks like and how far it can get you in this world. The wisdom that is contained within the eyes of each human being is infinite and everlasting. As I reflect on Gericault’s artwork, I am overcome with emotion and gratitude for the mentally ill population. When I look at this piece of art I see the imperfections in the human person for what they truly are; moreover, I see originality, uniqueness and experience. Most importantly, I remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Today this work of art is observed at Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, France, where it still tugs at the heartstrings of many who visit (Meyer 2).