Untitled (Schizophrenic girl)

Plokker’s analysis of the girl’s portrait: “A better and more penetrating symbolisation of the illness ‘schizophrenia’ is scarcely conceivable. The withdrawn demeanour, the autistic attitude of the young woman is portrayed impressively by the position of the trunk, the attitude of the arms and by the closed right eye which can only look inwards. The left eye is missing, this giving an even stronger expression to the face. The painful expression around the mouth portrays the suffering the loneliness completely adequately. All superfluous features have been omitted. The areas are large, everything is in its place, there is nothing unnecessary, nothing can likewise be added. The creator indeed here found a ‘significant form’. Plokker, p.212.

Poolman, Hans; Untitled, verso of the gilr’s portrait, n.d., oils on board.