Initial reading for my dissertation...

I have been interested in the relationship between mental illness and the artist for a very long time, and am thinking about it forming the basis of my dissertation.

An interesting article I found on artist Bobby Baker, who has struggled with mental illness herself.


An extract:

'While many artists have had mental health problems - Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Vincent van Gogh all reportedly suffered from clinical depression - Baker says she actively used her art as a talking point with the professionals who were trying to help her. "Recovery is about communicating, so if my pictures can communicate with people in some way, that's great," she says.
Baker is hopeful about the prognosis for mental health care. She says that although services "are not there yet", things are much better than many imagine. "We are very negative in this country, but we have some extraordinary practice here [compared to mainland Europe]."
Ultimately, Baker would like mental health services to become much more holistic. "It's very easy, when you are mentally ill, for people just to look at your mental illness, but recovery is about the whole of you," she says.'

The full article is here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/18/mental-health-bobby-baker-exhibition

Bobby Baker is based in East London, so perhaps contact would be possible?