- New series: Patron saints for epilepsy
- Contemporary art
- Epilepsy and art in 2007
- Famous epileptics in representational art
- Patron saints for epilepsy
- Images of the epileptic seizure
- Epilepsy in the Bible
- Epilepsy as a theme in literature
- Treatment of epilepsy as a theme in art
- Carolingian fresco
- The disease epilepsy as a theme for art
- The epilepsy motif in religious art
- "Desitin for Pioneer"
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Valentine
For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Valentine
For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Valentine
For more than 300 years - from approx. 1520 to 1850 - Raphael's "Transfiguration" [see episode "Epilepsy in the Bible (II) of this series] was deemed the "world's most famous paint ... více
Contemporary art

The Symbolic World of Epilepsy by Karlheinz Geier, 1983
A chronic disease can have a drastic impact on the life path of an individual – especially when medication does not succeed in satisfactorily controlling the condition and/or eliminating or at lea ... více
Contemporary art

Sea horses, almond tree and epilepsy
“Sea horse and Almond“ by the American academic and artist Janet Yagoda ShagamThe 'hippocampus' of the human brain lies (in pairs) in the two temporal lobes of the cerebrum. It is important for ... více
Contemporary art

The red curtain or Hommage à Vincent
The picture was created approx. in 1965 by an unkown patient in his painting therapy. The painter shows the whole problem of his disease, paying homage to Vincent van Gogh (who also suffered from ... více
"Desitin for Pioneer"

The pioneer 10 probe
The pioneer probe was launched on 2 March 1972 in order to explore the outer planets and then to leave the solar system with a message on board. It took over 300 pictures of Jupiter, which was 130, ... více
"Desitin for Pioneer"

Petrus Wandrey
Bon mot in passingThe information disk of Pioneer 10 caused quite a furore in puritanical, repressed American society, reaching strange proportions in some cases:In newspapers readers’ letters we ... více
"Desitin for Pioneer"

Information disk of the NASA Pioneer 10 space probe
The cosmic messages of greeting on the Jupiter probes Pioneer 10 and 11 launched in 1972 and on the two "Voyager" space crafts which have now been launched will definitely not be read in t ... více
"Desitin for Pioneer"

"Desitin for Pioneer"
“Desitin for Pioneer“ by Petrus Wandrey Acrylic on canvas, 200 cm x 196 cm created in August 2003 on behalf of Desitin Arzneimittel GmbHThe Hamburg artist Petrus Wandrey instigated the launch o ... více
The epilepsy motif in religious art

Healing of ’sleepwalking’ boy
The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... více
The epilepsy motif in religious art

Valentine‚ ’patron of the falling sickness’
The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... více
The epilepsy motif in religious art

An epilepsy goddess from Central America
The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... více
The epilepsy motif in religious art

The divine dancer
The power of the DeityIntroduction:In all epochs of the history of the human race, poverty, misfortune, illness and suffering are frequently connected with higher powers, divine entities, personal ... více
The disease epilepsy as a theme for art

Falling Sickness Ceramic, 1983
Bodo Wentz: Falling SicknessEpilepsy is a disease that, apart from causing medical problems, can also greatly influence, and even shape, the family, professional, leisure and social lives of the ep ... více
Carolingian fresco

Carolingian fresco
The fresco shown here originates from the Carolingian period (c. 9th century) and is found in the chapel of St. Sylvester in Goldbach near Überlingen am BodenseeIn the New Testament of the Bible, ... více
Treatment of epilepsy as a theme in art

Treatment of epilepsy
Approximately half a century earlier, Hieronymus Bosch created his work, "The Stonecutting", which is also displayed in the Prado and which presents a comparable theme. Despite the title, ... více
Treatment of epilepsy as a theme in art

Treatment of epilepsy
Quack surgeons also became a topic in the representational arts. The great Arabic physician Rhazes (c. 850-930) had already noted: "Some of the miracle healers claim to cure epilepsy and they ... více
Treatment of epilepsy as a theme in art

Treatment of epilepsy
Surgical treatment of epilepsy is not a discovery of the 19th or 20th century. Already in ancient times and in subsequent centuries, trepanation was carried out in order to eliminate or alleviate e ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

Time and again, these characters have inspired artists in the creation of illustrative works. A pencil drawing by the German-American artist Fritz Eichenberg (1901 – 1990) for example is based on ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

Fjodor M. Dostojewskij
Six novels or narratives of the Russian epileptic author Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewskij contain fictitious people who - like their creator himself - suffer from epileptic seizures: Old Murin in ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

19th Century
Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

18th Century
Epileptic events are remarkably frequent subjects not only of the visual arts, but also in narrative literature. The so-called grand mal fit (tonic clonic seizure) in particular has inspired poets ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

T. Mann – S. Zweig – T. Wilder
While the theme of epilepsy is encountered only rarely in the non-medical literature of antiquity, mediaeval times and the start of our era, over the past one and a half centuries one nevertheless ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

Gaius Julius Caesar – described by Shakespeare as a statesman with epileptic seizures
Shakespeare also used the theme of epilepsy at the threshold of the modern era; the best known being the description of the epileptic fit of the protagonist in the drama Julius Caesar (1599). Less ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

“The treatment of epilepsy” in the New Testament: Christ heals the ‘moonstruck’ boy
In the ancient literature, not only in Aeschylus, but, for example, also in Plautus, in his comedy The Prisoners (from 200 BC) we come across grand mal epilepsy brought into connection with frenzy, ... více
Epilepsy as a theme in literature

F. M. Dostoevsky – epileptic poet and creator of several novel characters who suffered from seizures
The description and interpretation of suffering in the form of pain, illness and disability have an important role in the aesthetic literature of numerous cultural-historical epochs.This aspect of ... více
Epilepsy in the Bible

St Martin’s Church in Zillis, (Switzerland, Graubünden Canton)
The picture shows 5 figures: in the centre Christ (with halo adorned with a cross), nearby on the left an unidentified disciple (with simple halo), on the right two men, each pointing at Chri ... více
Epilepsy in the Bible

St. Martin’s Church in Zillis, (Switzerland, Graubünden Canton)
It is a very special stroke of luck, that the painted ceiling of St Martin’s Church in Zillis, (Switzerland, Graubünden Canton) has been preserved for posterity. The 153 square pinewood pa ... více
Epilepsy in the Bible

Transfiguration: detailed view
In the Gospels: Matthew, Chapter 17 (verse 1 ff.); Mark Chapter 9 (verse 2 ff.) and likewise Luke, Chapter 9 (verse 28 ff.), the Transfiguration of Christ is described. All three evangelists mentio ... více
Epilepsy in the Bible

Transfiguration
In the Gospels: Matthew, Chapter 17 (verse 1 ff.); Mark Chapter 9 (verse 2 ff.) and likewise Luke, Chapter 9 (verse 28 ff.), the Transfiguration of Christ is described. All three evangelists mention ... více
Epilepsy in the Bible

Moonstruck son
"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water."
With these words, which can be read in Chapte ... více
Images of the epileptic seizure

Images of the epileptic seizure
The expressiveness of a work of art in no way has to depend always on many years of experience, on the ability to penetrate mentally to the heart of the matter, or on the craftsmanship of the artis ... více
Images of the epileptic seizure

Images of the epileptic seizure
One of the significant advantages of modern medical documentation is that, with the aid of film technology, it is possible to record a sequence of movements precisely and to replay it often in a us ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Anastasia (detailed view)
Although during the Middle Ages there was a great lack of clarity concerning the cause of the "falling sickness" and its organic origin, with fanciful ideas sometimes prevailing, it was h ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Anastasia
In addition to the best known and most important patron saint for epilepsy during the Christian Middle Ages, St Valentine (see the parts (Patron saint for epilepsy I-III of this series), numerous o ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Leopold Hafner, 2nd half of the 20th century, well in the courtyard of Passau Cathedral. (Especially noteworthy: extended arms, tonically stretched legs ['generalised tonic seizure], open eyes. ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Johann Philipp Ruckerpauer
Johann Philipp Ruckerpauer, 1st half of the 18th century, detail from the picture of the main altar of St Valentine’s Church in Braunau-Haselbach (A). (Especially noteworthy: impacted left thumb, ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Unknown artist
Unknown artist, 18th century, Röhrnbach, Bayern. (Especially noteworthy: Flaccidity of the whole body [atonic seizure], eyes rolling upwards, clothes lacking)In this instalment, details from five ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Unknown artist
Pflock Altar, Annaberg (Erzgebirge), unknown artist, around 1520. (Especially noteworthy: tonic cramping of the left hand, squinting of the eyes, cyanosis of the lips, hypersalivation, red clothing ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Unknown Swabian artist
Mainfränkisches Museum Würzburg, unknown Swabian artist, 16th century (Especially noteworthy: tonic stretching of the arms, hint of cyanosis of the lips, striking black-yellow colouration of the ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

St. Valentine with epileptic child (Ulm Cathedral, around 1490)
Not infrequently, the colour of the clothing also provides an interesting aspect: it is often red or yellow. Such "signal colours" are directed against demons, thus they should protect th ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

St. Valentine blesses (heals) an epileptic (St. Benedict’s Church, Steiermark, around 1520)
From a medical viewpoint, the variety of ways in which the symptoms of epilepsy are shown is astonishing. It is possible to different between "grand mal" and "petit mal", tonic a ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

St. Valentine and epileptic (St. Valentine’s Church in Vilnöss, South Tyrol, around 1500)
Iconographic representations of Saint Valentine with his attribute, epilepsy, are frequently encountered above all in southern Germany, eastern Switzerland, Austria and Italy. The attention of the ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

The picture of the Rufach pilgrimage (a woodcut produced around 1480) shows Saint Valentine in the regalia of a bishop. He is making a sign of blessing over two individuals, who – it may be assum ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Valentine of Rätien (Wood sculpture from the Valentinskirche in Meran-Obermais)
The most important "epilepsy specialist" from this group of 40 patrons was (at least in German-speaking areas) Saint Valentine – probably (as has already been stated in the instalment & ... více
Patron saints for epilepsy

Saint Valentine with an epileptic child (late Gothic, Regensburg, St. Ulrich)
In the Christian Middle Ages, the treatment of illness and disability was not by any means exhausted with the administration of (usually herbal) remedies and other medical measures (e.g. dietetics) ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

The statement, which members of the Epilepsy Foundation of America had attached beneath a masterful oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, also an epileptic, - "If you think epilepsy stands in the ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

According to his autobiographical records, von Bodes' focal onset seizures began at the age of 9, lead to the termination of public schooling, repeatedly interrupted studies and professional activi ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Without Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), the famous art historian, museum specialist and teacher as well as author of significant art reference books, the current museum landscape would be inconceivab ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Max Ernst: The Rendezvous of Friends, 1922
The pictures that we have of Dostoyevsky, photographs as well as artistic portrayals, as a rule show a very serious man, with whose mostly shaded eyes are often directed into an undefined distance ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

M. Beckmann: Dostoyevsky, 1921
There are few artistic portrayals of Dostoyevsky made in his lifetime. Nevertheless, there are some photographs of him, which served more than a few artists as a model in later years. (This is prob ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Max Ernst: The Rendezvous of Friends, 1922
The pictures that we have of Dostoyevsky, photographs as well as artistic portrayals, as a rule show a very serious man, with whose mostly shaded eyes are often directed into an undefined distance ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

M. Liebermann: Dostoyevsky as Moses, 1896
Among the ranks of famous epileptics, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821 – 1880) is probably the best known. This position is due to him on the one hand because of his significant as one of th ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Vincent Van Gogh
In the hospital in Arles, in southern France, an important diagnosis is contained in the medical records of "van Gogh, Vincent": "intellectual petit mal". This description of the ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Vincent Van Gogh
In the hospital in Arles, in southern France, an important diagnosis is contained in the medical records of "van Gogh, Vincent": "intellectual petit mal". This description of the ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Kardinal Richelieu
One of the most famous French psychiatrists and specialists in epilepsy in the second half of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Gélineau, and his colleague and contemporary, the Italian forensic doc ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Gustave Flaubert
The are numerous contemporary artistic portrayals of Flaubert, one of the best known being by Eugène Giraud (1806 – 1881); the painter's preference for caricaturized representations that can alr ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Gustave Flaubert
"Alors il poussait une plainte dont l’accent déchirant vibre encore dans mon oreille, et la convulsion le soulevait." ("Then he let out a cry of complaint, the heart-rending sound ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

As also does, for example, an unsigned picture on the same theme in the church at Brou Monastery (Bourg-en-Bresse, France).
... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Also in the famous picture of the conversion by Caravaggio (in the Maria del Popolo church in Rome, painted around 1600), the bodily position of Saul lying on the ground suggests the tonic phase of ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

Also in the picture by Michelangelo ("The Conversion of Paul", Vatican, Rome, painted between 1542 and 1545), Saul/Paul has fallen off a horse and now lies helpless on the ground, while a ... více
Famous epileptics in representational art

The list of famous epileptics is not so short - it ranges from Balaam, the prophetic seer of the Old Testament (c. 1250 BC), through Caesar and Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles (at around the turn ... více
Epilepsy and art in 2007

Erwin-Josef Speckmann: ‚Convulsion # 1 and # 2’ (2007)
Applied to the theme of "Brain – Epilepsy", this could have the following meaning (where each panel could represent one of the cerebral hemispheres): One site of each panel presents the ... více
Epilepsy and art in 2007

Erwin-Josef Speckmann: ‚Convulsion # 1 and # 2’ (2007)
The artistic work of E.-J. Speckmann (a contemporary, renowned researcher in the field of epilepsy!) presented here considers these processes within the brain, with the following interpretation seem ... více
Epilepsy and art in 2007

Erwin-Josef Speckmann: ‚Convulsion # 1 and # 2’ (2007)
The "normal" undisturbed function of the brain is associated with a rapid interplay of excitation and inhibition of the nerve cells. This seeming chaos of constant changes in activity is s ... více
Epilepsy and art in 2007

Mandala
A totally specific way in which to present the social situation of an epileptic has been chosen by the young American artist Jessica Merrell.(J. Merrell, born in 1983, received her artistic trainin ... více
Epilepsy and art in 2007

Little Boxes
In the cycle "Seahorse" of this artistic series, we already encountered the contemporary American scientist (microbiologist) and artist Janet Yagoda Shagam (see also www.Art505.com).Now M ... více
Contemporary art

Jan Peter Tripp: ''A Little Crack' (around 1974)
That's me. One like you. But my life has a little crack. It runs through my head. I'm a little sad and sometimes also a little resigned - you see the crack more than you see my face. But don't you t ... více
Contemporary art

Jan Peter Tripp: The Deep Fall (detail)
The fallen one has been lying there for quite some time - time enough for someone to have fetched a blanket. His face is not visible.
People standing around - unagitated, rather helpless and at a lo ... více
Contemporary art

Jan Peter Tripp: The Deep Fall (around 1975)
Today's artists also deal with the epilepsy motif (see the episodes 'Epilepsy and Art in 2007' of this series) - e.g. the renowned painter, sculptor and author Jan Peter Tripp, born in Oberstdorf (All ... více





