Kusama Bandaged Ear

Art Medicine
Despite her struggle to establish herself with her parents and society, her art was her stability. She made art to create a new world for herself. Kusama lived by self-obliteration -- to lose herself in the work, or to the work, to save herself (Swanson). She wrote in her autobiography, “I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art”. Kusama calls her work “‘art medicine’ for both herself and the rest of the world. She shows the world how important art is especially after fighting the criticism from those around her in her early years.
During the 1970s Kusama was known for promoting “Sex not War” with her ‘Happenings’ and producing works comprised of objects such as sofas, suitcases, and even dresses covered in phalluses. People assume that Kusama is addicted to sex because she makes soft sculptures in the form of penises. It's quite the opposite. She makes these objects because they
In Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889), he depicts himself in three-quarter profile with closed coat, fur cap, and bandaged ear. This painting is a good example of how his illnesses dictated what he painted. After cutting off his ear, he painted this picture, depicting an open window for fresh air and bandage probably soaked in camphor, to communicate that he is able to care for himself and does not need to be taken to an asylum. He used his art to convey his inner thoughts and emotions and as a post-impressionist, he made sure to capture all of his memories and emotions in each painting. Van Gogh had an eccentric personality, multiple moods and suffered from recurrent psychotic episodes, in which those affected experience altered thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors (Tsuang). Both use their paintings to alter their present states and create an alternate reality that challenges their