Historical Depictions of Disability In Art

By Anne Sparks

Art is a consistent and incredibly useful indicator of societal attitudes and cultural shifts. From antiquity until the present day, the art of past eras provides us with a window into civilizations that have come and gone. This is a valuable tool for understanding how past cultures have viewed different groups of people. Often, artists have chosen to depict people in ways that reflect their places in society; this also holds true when looking at depictions of disabilities throughout art history. Through seeing these, we can see shifting attitudes towards people with disabilities, and how representation both reflects and influences the society being pictured. 

People with disabilities have been discriminated against for thousands of years, even some of the first known written laws have had stipulations focused against people with mental or physical disabilities. The written record holds references to physically disabled individuals as far back as the Code of Hammurabi in 1750 B.C.E [1]. For the most part, the oldest references we have are from legal codes and literature, with a few exceptions in Greek Vase decorating or Egyptian funerary art. For centuries, creating a stylized “ideal” of the human figure was more accepted as a sophisticated art form over realism, something the Greeks are now known for. 

A more realistic picture of people became more popular in Rome in 14-60 C.E., and with this shift came more depictions of disabilities than had been crafted previously.  Perhaps the most well-known example of this shift is the sculpture known as “Old Market Woman” (~14-68 C.E), which shows an elderly woman struggling to move while walking [2]. It was in this era that paintings and sculptures began to show paralysis, blindness, and other physical disabilities. This period, which was also a time of growth for Christianity, provided material for new religious art and imagery that would be reflected in the Middle Ages (Medieval Age) [1]. 

This increase in religious art resulted in portrayals of biblical stories centered around healing narratives. This reflects a society that often saw disability as a punishment that could only be resolved by divine intervention [1]. Increased portrayals of disabled persons were not an attempt at realism or positive representation. Rather, they were a vehicle to spread the message of the Church at that time. The El Greco painting, “Christ Healing the Blind” (1570), or “Mass for the Dead” (1460) by William Vrelant, are some examples of this theme. El Greco’s work is also a representation of a turning point from the Middle Ages into Renaissance art [3]. In the later years of the 15th century, into the 16th, artists began to move away from biblical themes back to mythical stories of the Greeks and Romans, as well as more realistic depictions of the world around them. 

The Renaissance, or “Rebirth”, was a period of enormous cultural and artistic growth in Europe. The era was a cultural shift away from organized religion towards personal ideals of reason and creativity. While medieval art was often highly stylized, Renaissance art sought to portray the world as it was, not only as the artist thought it ought to be. However, because the Renaissance sought to bring back the artistic ideals of the Greco-Roman period, the reality they portrayed often had to be perfectly proportioned and symmetrical. Religious imagery was still common, but there was a marked increase in painted representation of disability. This showed a societal belief that the body was a reflection of one’s soul. If one had a disability it was counted as a mark against their character. Perhaps the most famous example of the overlapping religious overtones and disdain for those with physical disabilities or impairments is Peter Breughel’s “Blind Leading the Blind” (1568). The painting is based on a biblical saying, depicting five blind men struggling to find their way along a path. The image is not a positive representation, but it is a useful tool to see how these members of society were viewed by the artists and their patrons [4]. 

These themes continued for centuries, into the start of the 1800s. Mocking depictions of disabilities and religious stories were often the only scenes chosen for the representation of visible physical disability. However, in the mid-1800s, that began to change. A new, post-Enlightenment society took shape in the 1800s. As technology and medicine began to advance at a faster rate than ever before, the public and academia showed a new fascination for groups considered “outside the norm”. It was in this environment that P.T. Barnum began his traveling circus and sideshows that featured disabled individuals working as entertainers. The circus was very popular, and it showed a new trend in society. With the invention of the camera, a new art form was created, and the sideshow was often photographed for advertising and news purposes. While the motives behind Barnum’s show were likely purely monetary, the show did serve to help remove the narrative that disabilities were a moral failing for individuals [5]. In addition, there was a marked increase in artists with disabilities beginning to break into the art scene. Sarah Biffin was one such artist. She was born without legs or arms and went from working sideshows in a traveling circus to being commissioned by royalty to paint. While she did not paint disabled persons, her skill as an artist with disability positively influenced overall public perception [6]. 

Sideshows stayed popular well into the 20th century. Both as a form of public entertainment and as a subject for photography. But two world wars, rapidly advancing medical knowledge, and the advancement of disability rights legislation eventually put an end to them [7]. In addition, a century of violent conflicts that resulted in traumatic injuries brought even more visibility to rights movements. Portrayals of disabled persons took on a more respectful light. One such example is Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” (1948). The painting shows Christina, Wyeth’s neighbor, struggling to pull herself up a hill having lost the ability to walk. While the painting did not receive much praise at its release, it has since become one of the most well-known American pieces [8]. 

The 20th century was also the beginning of the Disability Arts Movement, which began in the 1970s. The movement sought to bring disability representation to the forefront of arts and culture, and physically disabled artists and activists were at the helm. The movement included all art forms, and artists from all different backgrounds contributed to their message. It resulted in many new non-profit organizations that strove to bring more visibility to a historically marginalized group of artists and bring them to the forefront of “mainstream” art. 

The group’s work has continued into the present day. The movement fought back against the trend of rarely being depicted in art history, to creating art that depicts the personal struggles and experiences of disabled individuals. Artists like Adam Reynolds, Dave Lupton, and Nancy Willis depict complicated themes that reflect a society that has come a long way but that still has much further to go [9][10]. 

References

[1] Johnstone, Brick. “Art History as a Resource for Understanding Social Bias in Disability.” JHR, Historical Perspectives in Art. https://www.jhrehab.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Johnstone-Art_History_as_a_Resource-PDF_Fall_2021.pdf

[2] Watson, Keri. “Disability in Art History.” Art History Teaching Resources. http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/lessons/disability-in-art-history/

[3] The MET. “Christ Healing the Blind” https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436572

[4] Moola, Fiona J., Stephanie Posa, and Ron Buliung. 2023. “Malevolent or Benevolent Brushstrokes?: Exploring the Depiction of Disability in Renaissance Paintings Using a Critical Disability Studies Lens.” Canadian Journal of Disability Studies 12 (2): 110–51. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sxi&AN=172378353&authtype=shib&site=eds-live&scope=site.

[5] Rinn, Meghan. (2018) "Nineteenth-Century Depictions of Disabilities and Modern Metadata: A Consideration of Material in the P.T. Barnum Digital Collection," Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies: Vol. 5 , Article 1. Available at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/1

[6] “Sarah Biffin: Discover the inspiring story of a remarkable Somerset-born artist.” South West Heritage Trust. https://swheritage.org.uk/digital-exhibitions/sarah-biffin/

[7] “Sideshows”.  https://www.lynchburgmuseum.org/sideshows

[8] Hoptman, Laura. “One on One: Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/895

[9] National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. “Artists and Activists.” https://the-ndaca.org/the-people/

[10] Millett-Gallant, Ann, and Howie, Elizabeth, eds. 2021. Disability and Art History from Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century. Oxford: Taylor & Francis Group. Accessed September 8, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central.