In 1894, Edvard Munch created a painting in which he depicted a man looking out into the distant horizon, and the world that surrounds him is a swirling blur of indistinct emotions.
This man who is lost in thought appears glum, as if he has lost all hope. He’s resting his head on his hand, allowing his mind to fall into a whirlpool of melancholy and nostalgia. He is the embodiment of all those moments where we’ve distanced ourselves from everything. It is inevitable that once in a while we hunch our shoulders and think about where our lives are heading. It is no wonder Munch named this painting
Melancholy (1891).
Melancholy is that shiver going down your spine when you remember something you miss, it is an unspeakable longing for a past that will never resurface. It’s that feeling you get when you finally realize that special person won’t come back. Their laughter, caresses, and voice are gone forever and time will scrub away at these memories until all that lingers are faint emotions.
What was the sound of their laughter like? Husky? Soft? High-pitched? You can’t recall and that loss is keenly felt because no one can stop the pounding march of time.
Alone – Félix Parra, 1898
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Melancholy is often understood as a negative emotion, as the need to cling to a memory or an illusion. But isn’t loss and pain what pushes us to reinvent ourselves? Loss shakes the very foundations upon which you stand and it is the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the things that clutter your life. As you topple and your gut clenches in fear, you become aware of all the perspectives you have overlooked. The best cure for melancholy is solitude. The latter sets you free and allows you to confront yourself in this process of introspection. We all fear solitude because we equate it with loneliness, but the former is a state of being that will connect you to the innermost corner of your being.
Dream – José María Ibarrarán y Ponce, 1877
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Melancholy comes from disenchantment, the realization that there’s a dark side to reality we’ve previously ignored. What happens when we open our eyes and see that our idealizations are a perfect lie constructed by others? It is only when we are drowning in despair that we can truly question our existence.
How responsible are you for your broken dreams?
The Enlightened – Rufino Tamayo, 1982
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Melancholy is one of the strongest human passions, because it’s capable of destroying everything that lies on its path. When our inner emotions seem to be destroying us from the inside out, and when crying and screaming become the norm, we show our true colors. We can’t escape from that inner turmoil, and the only place we can find shelter is in the introspective moments that solitude provides.
The Blind – Saturnino Herrán Guinchard
Of course, it hurts. Overcoming melancholy is a task only vulnerable people can achieve. These artists, as they mixed their yellow ochres with black and white paint, knew that perseverance would lead to artistic masterpieces that call to us years after their creation. Pain lies in the hidden corners of our creative side and sometimes we have to release it so we’re no longer blinded by demons that whisper in our ears thoughts like “you’re worthless,” and “what’s the point? You’re nothing.”
Tiresias – Arturo Rivera, 1990
After the storm, we can only wait for the heart to heal, and art can be the best cure.
After the Storm (The Grounded Ship) – Diego Rivera, 1910
–As any human passion, melancholy has been frequently represented in many artistic disciplines. Shakespeare’s Hamlet thrives on melancholy and it is through this emotion that he is able to make heartbreaking revelations. Chekhov was familiarized with the emotion and perfectly employed it in his characterizations. All creative spirits have been touched by melancholy at least once in their artistic careers. It seems inevitable and this is why this emotion surfaces time and time again in the greatest works of art.
Fulfilling the Vow, Alberto Garduño, 1922
Melancholy is a sickness of our generation. It festers and breeds violence and war. It is a filter with which we engage with our reality, a grey or sepia toned filter that leeches away any kernel of happiness and only solitude can be the solution.
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These particular emotions have inspired many artists for centuries mainly because they push creativity more than joyful feelings.Take a look at these 10 Paintings That Show How Solitude Can Be Your Best Companion and
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10 Works Of Art That Pay Homage To Your Melancholy.
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Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
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