Suffering for one’s art is something all persons subconsciously believe in. Everyone who has an artistic flair to them feel that they are more drawn to melancholic emotions: sadness, fear and despair, for they assure themselves that these sentiments run ‘deeper’ than joy. While some may consciously portray their flaws and turmoil to earn a livelihood, there were also many who couldn’t help being in pain. In-depth studies of some of the most reputed names in the arts have illustrated that they suffered from serious (and often undiagnosed) mental disorders; these disorders have spilled over into their creative works.

The greatest semi-autobiographical book of the 20th century, The Bell Jar penned by Sylvia Plath, indicates that the protagonist (in a way, Plath herself) suffered from manic-depressive disorder, which is known today as bipolar disorder. Since her college years, she had experienced depression, and had utilized this to produce resonating poetry. The extent of her illness got so severe that she had to be institutionalized, and eventually receive electroconvulsive therapy. It is rumored that this therapy did not go as planned, and instead of getting better, Plath’s disorder took a turn for the worse. After innumerable, award winning writings which displayed heartbreak, melancholia, and sometimes even death, Sylvia Plath committed suicide at the young age of 30.

While her life story is one where mental illness was known, there were many artists who did not even know they were suffering from disorders. The prime example of this is the critically acclaimed painter, Vincent Van Gogh. It is believed that the Dutch post-impressionist painter suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy as well as mania. While his illness was diagnosed posthumously, there were several indications of it in his paintings. Van Gogh’s excessive use of yellow paint is linked with various theories. The first is that in order to treat his epilepsy, the doctor used the drug digitalis which has the side effect of yellow vision and seeing yellow spots around objects. This may have triggered the enormously famed Starry Night painting.

Another theory deduces that absinthe, a type of liquor that Van Gogh consumed exceedingly, also has the effect of paling our vision. The ingredient thujone in the absinthe is also known to cause mood swings, convulsions, brain damage, and even death.

Lastly, it is known that yellow is considered to be a happy go lucky color. Rumor has it that Vincent Van Gogh was so unhappy that to make him cheerful, he actually ate yellow paint! This might also explain the prevalence of the color in some of his most famous works.

Why is it that people who are artistic in nature have a tendency to slip towards the abyss of sadness? This can be manifested through several explanations. The first is hereditary: it is proven that genetic polymorphism (a changed DNA sequence) is present in highly creative persons. Second, many disparate causes also exist. Freudian symptoms (unique phobias and fears present in young childhood), behavioral symptoms like bulimia nervosa, and lifestyle triggers such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and family violence are more likely to occur in individuals high on creativity.

Although it is not fair for society to romanticize mental illness in artists, Aristotle rightly said, “No great genius has ever existed without a strain of madness”.