Painting psychosis: an empirical investigation of the self-portraits of Edvard Munch.
Frontiers in Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Eric C Bettelheim, Jingyi Liu, Paola Dazzan et al.
Changes in contrast, color, fractal dimension, and productivity in Edvard Munch's self-portraits during critical life periods are consistent with a diagnosis of early onset psychosis. Differences between his self-portraits and portraits of others, and between portraits of related and unrelated people, suggest comorbid social anxiety disorder. The study empirically examined stylistic elements in Munch's painted self-portraits and portraits of others to test correlations with life events associated with psychopathology.