UTERMOLEN | Mysite 1

William

Utermohlen

Who was he ?

Ultermolen was a U.K.based artist who suffered from Alzheimer's disease in 1995 and his life gave away in 2007. His last works, from1990 to 2000, depicted his self-portraits with the gradual decay of his mind

1967

1996_utermohlen_self_portrait_with_easel

S E L F P O R T R A I T 1

Ultermolen used oil and painted the

first self-portrait after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He has mainly used primary colours in soft brush strokes. The portrait is dominantly yellow and green which . contradicting his terrifying and tragic experience as he suffers from the diseases and "all that’s left is to wait for the hour of his death sentence".

(Polini.n.d)

1996

1997

S E L F P O R T R A I T (green)

Ultermolen used oil and painted this self-portrait using dark and dull colours juxtaposing from self-portrait 1.

The random brush strokes and of the painting are blurred and disoriented making the painting look uncertain. (Polini.n.d)The sulking expression on his face depicting immense sorrow which is highlighted on his face with the help of the black background.

1998

S E L F P O R T R A I T

(with easel)

Ultermolen used oil to paint this

self-portrait using bright primary

colours. He predominantly uses red

and yellow to form a shape of a guillotine.(Polini.n.d) This could mean that Ultermolen was feeling very oppressed with his disease and might have wanted to end his life hence the portrayal of the guillotine. He might have felt this way as at this point we had difficulties signing

his own name off on paintings. (Polini.n.d)

1999

2001

24-utermohlen-1996-mask_blue_eyes_waterc

ERASED S E L F

P O R T R A I T

"Time has devoured itself and the drawing is erased as soon as it is drawn." (Polini.n.d) Ultermolen used oil to paint this.self-portrait which looks rather "dismantled ". (Polini.n.d)The facial features look very slurred with short brush strokes and smeared paint . This represents the artists losing his sense of self as his features are hardly legible to even pick out emotions. This explains the severity of the mental decay caused by Alzheimers

MASK

In this painting, Ultermolen has detoured from oil to watercolour. His drawing of portraits evolved to a non-living thing, a mask as his cognitive functions had fully deteriorated. The yellow-green colour in the background represents sickness, this might explain the disease masking his ability to even paint portraits. The lack of control over the brush is evident with paint that is not blended but rather left to spread on the paper sporadically.

S E L F P O R T R A I T

Ultermolen drew this with a Cont´e crayon and pencil on paper. This was done before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He has used the hatching method with precise control over his medium which is clearly evident with his attempt to draw hair. His facial featured are clearly drawn and looks realistic which eventually evolved to abstract when he was diagnosed