Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality.

The paintings of Bryan Charnley (1949-1991) used visual metaphor and symbolism to vividly illustrate the physical experience of schizophrenia, an illness Charnley lived with from adolescence until his premature death in 1991.

Here is some information about his life and the self-portraits he painted in last a few months of his life, which captured and reflected the effects of Schizophrenia. Below each image, you can see the date the painting was made, together with his own diary notes in which he explained the the imagery.