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This picture brings out a nice smooth design and gives soft vibes and brings out a lot of elements throgh all the diamonds and is said to attract a lot of people.

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Callot Soeurs | Dress | French | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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"Hideaway" by Tony Oursler 1995, updated 2016 Medium: Chair, fabric, videotape, VCR, and video projector, updated to digital format by the artist in 2016

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This piece is a psychologically discomforting installation that combines found objects with video projections. This depicts someone fading away from the pressures of life.

https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/134126/hideaway?ctx=78c8a201f60085af8c2ad8715fa1af00fb7dd821&idx=938

Randy McBride

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"The End' by Tracy Emin 2012, Water colour 

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This piece can carry multiple layers of meaning. It may evoke a sense of hopelessness or despair often associated with depression, or reflect the quiet, invisible nature of suffering particularly in moments of emotional isolation. It might also represent the idea of endings whether its the end of a relationship, the loss of a part of oneself, or even more somber interpretations, such as a suicidal thoughts.

Andrea Espada

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"Anxiety" by Victoria Olt September 24, 2017

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This piece shows the internal turmoil that is associated with anxiety, constantly wanting to cover up what is inside. "Victoria Olt was inspired to create "Anxiety" by her lifelong struggle with anxiety and her fear of expressing her feelings."

https://www.icanvas.com/blog/4-artists-exploring-the-struggles-of-mental-health/

My take is the unveiling of the pain inside of this subject is released once uncovered. Always wanting to cover up keeps building and building.

Medium: watercolors, paints, graphite, charcoal, ink and colored pencils

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"I Break" by Mario Sanchez Nevado October 1st, 2018

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This is a resounding depiction of inner turmoil. The artist features a shadowy figure with hands over their eyes, portraying emotions like anger and fear. https://www.icanvas.com/canvas-print/i-break-msn51

This subject, to me, is covered with nothing, but with all their might trying to keep from breaking but nevertheless is. Emotions at the forefront of all.

Medium: Digital Art - Photo Manipulation + Digital Painting, "matte painting"

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yet meaningful lens into mental health, particularly through themes of solitude, reflection, and emotional expression. The image appears to depict a solitary figure under a tree near a body of water, evoking a peaceful yet somber mood. This scene may symbolize introspection or even melancholy, both of which were commonly explored in art of the late 18th century. During this time, emotional restraint was expected, especially among women, and needlework served not only as a domestic skill but also as a creative outlet for expressing complex feelings in a socially acceptable way.

Engaging in intricate needlework could have been therapeutic, allowing individuals to process emotions silently through repetitive motion and detailed focus. The choice to depict a lone, contemplative figure also suggests an awareness of the inner emotional world—possibly representing feelings of sadness, longing, or even quiet resilience. In the context of mental health, this work reminds us of the historical ways people manage emotional stress and sought peace within confinement. It speaks to the enduring need for personal reflection and the healing power of creative expression, even when mental health as a concept was not yet fully understood or acknowledged.

https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/4402/needlework-picture?ctx=2df421f1f56ecdb05cd961cf7d3c503d617a8610&idx=493#

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This photograph titled [Skin Disease], dated between 1902–1910 and created using gelatin silver print, powerfully connects physical health with mental health. The image, depicting a person with a visible and severe skin condition, likely reflects the psychological and emotional burden carried by individuals suffering from disfigurements or chronic illnesses. During the early 20th century, societal stigma surrounding visible skin conditions could lead to isolation, discrimination, and a deep sense of shame. The subject’s expression—detached, somber, and weary—may convey the emotional toll of living with a misunderstood condition. Mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem often accompanied visible illnesses at a time when little psychological support was available. This image also represents how photography was used to document medical conditions, sometimes without considering the human experience of those afflicted. In the context of mental health, the photograph invites viewers to consider how external appearances can deeply affect one’s internal world. It serves as a historical reminder of the link between physical and emotional suffering and encourages empathy toward those experiencing similar challenges today. Through its stark honesty, the image encourages a more compassionate and holistic view of health—one that includes both body and mind.https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/151940/skin-disease?ctx=57d9becc2fbb87748eb522fb4187dc830fb0de12&idx=18

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The Perspective Project hosts art, poetry and writing with the aim of ending stigma and providing an outlet for those with mental health problems. The 24-year-old founder, Mark Anscombe, is already sharing the work of over 30 artists from around the UK, US and Canada, all of whom have various mental health issues. The project accepts submissions in any form, and people can submit anonymously

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Eight artworks inspired by mental health problems

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The Perspective Project hosts art, poetry and writing with the aim of ending stigma and providing an outlet for those with mental health problems

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Editor's Note: This article is the first of its kind for Conversations Magazine. We featured nine works of art by Rockhurst University student Stevie Tierney. After reading her words, look at each painting slowly as if you were in an art museum. Ask yourself - what do you feel as you see her description of each mental illness? What stirs in you?

By Stevie Tierney: As a nursing student at Research College of Nursing and currently working on my art minor at Rockhurst University, I have been taking art classes for three years now. Art has been a hobby of mine since I was nine years old but helping people and bringing compassion into their lives is my passion. One year ago, I signed up for an independent study that correlated with my mental health nursing course. I decided to merge my new understanding of mental health and my own personal struggles with my passion for art and helping others. I created a series of ten paintings based off mental health illnesses, each featured below.

I went through a very detailed and thought out process when making these mental health pieces, using liquid, high-flow and solid acrylics to make these paintings. When I was in my mental health course I would learn everything needed to understand what it meant to live with these mental illnesses. I wanted my pieces to be emotional and disturbing so people could not just gain knowledge and understanding of what it looks like to live with these mental illnesses but to feel the raw emotion that these people feel every day. I feel as humans we learn best through imagery and symbolism and that is why every portion of my art held symbolism to the mental illness it was depicting. I wanted to help and bring peace to people with mental struggles. Sometimes we do not know how to explain or understand our struggles, but my art was made in place of those words that we never know how to say.

Anger

Anxiety

Bipolar Disorder

Depression

Eating Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Schizophrenia

Sexual Assault/Abuse/Rape

Stevie Tierney is a nursing student at Research College and Nursing and an art minor at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. She now has an Etsy account, MentalHealthAware, where she sells prints and donates some of the proceeds for every print sold to Mental Health America of The Heartland. All photos are featured courtesy of Tierney and are copy written.

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Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education

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Symbolizing Mental Illness: The Imagery of Raw Emotion

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Editor's Note: This article is the first of its kind for Conversations Magazine. We featured nine works of art by Rockhurst University student Stevie Tierney. After reading her words, look at each...

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The Perspective Project hosts art, poetry and writing with the aim of ending stigma and providing an outlet for those with mental health problems. The 24-year-old founder, Mark Anscombe, is already sharing the work of over 30 artists from around the UK, US and Canada, all of whom have various mental health issues. The project accepts submissions in any form, and people can submit anonymously

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Eight artworks inspired by mental health problems

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The Perspective Project hosts art, poetry and writing with the aim of ending stigma and providing an outlet for those with mental health problems

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Untitled

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eMuseum is a powerful web publishing toolkit that integrates seamlessly with TMS to bring dynamic collection content and images to your website, intranet, and kiosks.

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"The Gust of Wind" by Léon Spilliaert 1904, watercolour on paper

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This piece powerfully symbolizes the inner storms that so many endure in silence. The invisible wind is more than just a force. It's a relentless tides of emotions and overwhelming isolation that grips the soul. The figure, alone and vulnerable, seems to be at the mercy of something unseen yet all consuming, representing the deep emotional struggles that often go unnoticed. It's as if they are drowning in a storm of their own feelings, helpless against a tide of pain they can't express.

Andrea Espada

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"Separated" by Istvan Farkas 1941, Oil painting

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Separation can be incredibly painful whether it's a breakup, a divorce, the splitting of a family, or simply being distanced from someone you deeply love. It can trigger overwhelming emotions, often leading to depression, anxiety, stress, or a profound sense of isolation and abandonment. To me, this painting symbolizes the quiet suffering of someone left behind. The woman in the background with her expression concealed, represents the emotional weight of abandonment the kind that lingers in silence.

Andrea Espada

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"Depression" by Stevie Tierney September 8, 2018

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This piece of art powerfully captures the quiet agony of depression. It reveals the heartbreaking reality that so many people live with- hiding their pain behind a carefully crafted smile, wearing a mask so convincing that even those closest to them can't see the struggle beneath. It's a reminder that what we see on the surface isn't always the truth, and that sometimes, the ones who seem the happiest are carrying the heaviest burdens.

Andrea Espada

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"Mass in the Grotto" By Joos de Momper the younger

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This painting, Mass in the Grotto by Joos de Momper the Younger, shows a group of people gathered in a quiet, natural space for a religious ceremony. Relating it to mental health, the image symbolizes the importance of finding refuge, peace, and community in times of struggle. Just like the grotto offers a safe, sacred space for worshipers, we all need places—physical or emotional—where we can reflect, heal, and feel supported. It reminds us that connection, spirituality, and stillness can play a powerful role in maintaining and restoring mental well-being.

https://emuseum.mfah.org/people/19151/joos-de-momper-the-younger/objects

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"The Nation's Nightmare" 1951 by Andy Warhol Medium: Ink on paper

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This piece shows someone struggling with addiction. The unsettling nature of the illustration elicits discomfort, mirroring the anxiety and fear associated with the drug epidemic of the era.

https://www.thebroad.org/art/andy-warhol/nations-nightmare

Randy McBride

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"Nude Seated from Behind" by Jane Freilicher 1964 Medium: Oil on linen

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This piece symbolizes inward focus associated with self-reflection and personal contemplation. She seems to be taking a break from life and responsibility for just a moment to collect herself.

https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/147798/nude-seated-from-behind?ctx=78c8a201f60085af8c2ad8715fa1af00fb7dd821&idx=955

Randy McBride

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"Kara" by Janet Fish 1983 Medium: Oil on canvas

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To me, this piece of art depicts someone who is deep in thought. Though she seems calm, she looks like she is experiencing inner struggles. The cluttered arrangements symbolize anxiety.

https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/7695/kara?ctx=e5c1d5aab3098fb44fdca5c118da5c2311752ea3&idx=69

Randy McBride

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Here, the artist captures the falling apart of mental and emotional attributes of the subject. Fragmentation is conveyed with abstract and figurative elements. https://www.icanvas.com/canvas-print/falling-apart-dle7

To me the birds are symbolic in covering her as she falls in depression and emotional sadness. Not wanting to be seen but wanting to be seen.

Medium: Photography, canvas art print and UltraChrome® Giclée inks

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Warhol created a amazing piece of artwork through flowers. this imagine brings out many colors and elements. They say the more you look at the flower the more the element behind it will make you feel better.

http://www.moma.org/collection/works/64280

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Andy Warhol Flowers - New York - Exhibitions - Eykyn Maclean

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Andy Warhol Flowers was a comprehensive survey of Warhol's Flowers paintings of 1964 and 1965. Gallery Director Kristy Bryce explains, “This show brought together prime examples of Warhol’s Flowers in a variety of media to explore the series in a depth not previously addressed in an exhibition format.” Warhol began work on his Flowers series in the summer of 1964, soon deciding that it would be the focus for his first show with Leo Castelli in the fall of that year. For the Castelli show, he worked on 48- and 24-inch square canvases. For his following show, at the Sonnabend Gallery in Paris in the spring of 1965, he included additional sizes – 14-, 8-, and 5-inch squares. The square format allowed Warhol complete freedom with orientation. For the first time, his works had no fixed upright, allowing the Flowers to be installed in a variety of ways. Another unique aspect to this series is the different techniques and media he explored, including silkscreen, pencil, hand painted acrylics, and fluorescent Day-Glo paint. Eykyn Maclean included examples of each of these sizes and techniques to better trace the nuances of development within this important series. Also included was the only surviving banner (a Flowers painting on red fabric) that Warhol made for the 1965 opening of New York City's Peace Eye Bookstore. Unlike Warhol’s work prior to this point – which drew upon images in the mass media as well as commercial brands – Warhol turned to a different source: a spread in a magazine called Modern Photography. The magazine’s June 1964 issue featured a photograph of seven hibiscus flowers taken by executive editor Patricia Caulfield, printed three times in a glossy foldout to show the color variation of different chemical processes. The serial format undoubtedly appealed to Warhol’s sensibility. To create the composition for his paintings, he cropped Caulfield’s photograph into a perfect square, manipulating the flowers so that four of the original seven fit into this new square format. His unauthorized use of another artist’s photograph, however, landed him in trouble when Caulfield brought suit in 1966 (they settled out of court). From this time on, Warhol based his art on photographs he took himself. A fully illustrated, hard-cover catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition, with a newly commissioned essay by art historian Michael Lobel. It is available to purchase through this website.

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"Bipolar Cold Front" by Mario Sanchez Nevado 2021

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Here this artist establishes a parallelism between weather phenomena and psychological definitions, conditions and illnesses. www.marionevado.art

The unknown of the weather is like the unknown of the person and the conditions that they deal with on a daily basis.

As they ponder in all their turmoil, grasping for something that is as cold as the weather.

Medium: Digital Art - Photo Manipulation + Digital Painting, "matte painting"

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Bipolar Cold Front by Mario Sanchez Nevado

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Bipolar Cold Front by Mario Sanchez Nevado