DISEASE, ILLNESS, SICKNESS Aesthetics of Disease and Pain in Selected Artistic Representations

• Authors: Izdebska, Karolina

Abstracts

EN

A beautiful, healthy and &t body is the ideal model in contemporary culture. Disease is looked upon as something to be concealed, unwanted, embarrassing and disgusting. In this article the author poses the question: in art, how is disease and pain presented? Are such visual representations found within the bounds of aesthetics? As has been proven, artists use di+erent means of expression to present the physics and metaphysics of pain. Some show it realistically whilst others refer to symbolism andmetaphors. /ere are also di+erent, sometimes extremely so, aesthetic values found in art works about the world of disease. In this presented article, works of two artists are the objects of analysis: ‘Broken Column’by Frida Kahlo and ‘Olimpia’ by Katarzyna Kozyra. In the creative activities of both of these women, biographical threads connected with their own disease and su+ering is evident. /is was an important factor in the selection of these works for analysis.

Keywords

EN

choroba; cierpienie; sztuka; wartości estetyczne

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Gdański
• Journal: Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 14(2)

Contributors

author

Izdebska, Karolina

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/20842937.1097377