I receive the British Journal of Psychiatry each month. B J Psychiatry , 1 cover. The cover has a reproduction of a painting, The Corridor by Jill Chaloner. B J Psychiatry 1 : A2. She describes the painting: This painting arose out of memories of working and training in several old asylums, Claybury, Bexley and Warley hospitals among others. It was argued that their seemingly purposeless activity could in fact be part of a healing process.
In my picture though the human figures seem to inhabit deep darkness, bright light is never far away hinting at the possibility of transformation. Like Chaloner, I trained and worked in an old asylum, Bexley Hospital. The subjects of the painting and their situation has a resonance for me.
In terms of how Chaloner depicts this, I was struck by the use of bright light and deep shadow. This is not only visually appealing and adds to the interest of the image, but is also here used as a metaphor for chronic mental illness and recovery.
I include this post in my consideration of my assignment as an additional way artists use light — as a metaphor. My research of her biographical details and published works is in my written notes and I will not reproduce here for conciseness. However her first published works were of landscapes, and it is in this genre she is most regarded.
I also made a research visit to the Museum of Science and Media, Bradford 15 February and examined the archive material there. I have been able to photograph some of these images and they are reproduced here for study purposes.
