An ornament in artistic creativity of patients suffering from schizophrenia

Abstract

An ornament is a type of decoration consisting of recurrent, usually tiny (on a scale of the whole composition) elements (decorative motifs), based on geometrical forms, human figure, animals, plants and other forms derived from the reality but converted (stylised) in such a way that they are purely artistic in nature. The primary feature of an ornament constitutes its abstract character consisting of the rejection of an illustrative factor and the use of exclusively pure form.

The application of an ornament in artistic creativity of patients suffering from schizophrenia is a phenomenon characteristic of their manner of expression. Filling empty spaces of a painting with rhythmically repeated elements satisfies the need of frequent way of expression occurring in those patients to obsessive repetition of motifs.

The tendency to ornamentization may not depend on the disease duration nor on its course, but rather on the patient’s artistic way of expression – artist’s profile.

Deploying an ornament in artistic works of patients suffering from schizophrenia – noticed already at the beginning of twentieth century by the originator of that research orientation Hans Prinzhorn – is a complex, difficult to interpret phenomenon. There is no visible connection between an ornament and the disease duration, its clinical picture of a patient nor the therapy progress. Its presence, as well as symbolism, seems to be connected more to the author’s artistic maturity rather than to other typical features of those patients’ artistic expression such as geometrization, primitivization and theme peculiarity.

Further research may help to define the importance of an ornament is patient’s creativity, which may have a significant role in prognosing the disorder’s course or choosing therapy methods.