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The works of American artist William Utermohlen are on display at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. What makes this exhibit so unique is the way in which this artist portrayed the progression of a disease that eventually snuffed out his life. He transferred himself to canvas until he reached a point where he could no longer paint at all.
Utermohlen began his self portraits in 1995. This "Later Works" exhibit covers the years between 1995, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, until 2000, when the disease took away his ability to paint.
What you see is a man communicating what the disease is doing to him - in a creative way - from the perspective of the patient himself. Isolation, fear, outright terror, confusion and hundreds of other descriptive words probably only begin to define his feelings.
Jenny Woods with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts said, "Alzheimer's researchers have studied these works for looking at clues as to how someone in the grips of dementia is experiencing that."
Researchers already know that while Alzheimer's gradually strips away its victims memories and skills, the creative part of the brain sometimes lingers for some time, communicating in a different way.
As an artist, Utermohlen's creativity splashes on canvas how his image from the inside out is fading away.
Nick Zullo with the Utah Alzheimer's Association says the paintings are not only valuable to researchers but to caregivers who are often thrust into a world they don't understand. He says, "It's important for the caregiver to realize that and to enter the world of perception, to leave our concrete, logical world."
This unusual exhibit is certainly worth seeing, especially if Alzheimer's disease has in any way touched your family.
For more information on Utermohlen's life or on the exhibit, click on the related links to the right of the story.
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