Art and Vision

Visual art, especially paintings, is affected and changed by the eyesight of the artist. This phenomenon is most apparent in artists whose work has changed dramatically over time as their vision began to fade or fail.

Looking at the artwork of artists with impaired or altered vision can give us an insight into what the world looks like for people with specific vision problems.

This is most noticeable in the work of Impressionists. Monet had cataracts, giving his vision a yellow hue. Renoir was nearsighted (myopic), and rather than wear glasses, he painted the world as it appeared to him naturally.

Mary Cassatt, also an Impressionist painter, suffered from inoperable cataracts, and as her color vision began to fade she began to paint in bolder colors to compensate.

Medications can also affect the way that we see. Vincent Van Gogh's later work had a yellow hue. It is believed that this is caused by taking digitalis, now used for heart problems, but in his case for epilepsy. He may have taken santonin for his digestive problems, which also produces yellow vision. He personally attributed the way he saw the world to the use of absinthe. Eye experts have speculated that he may have had glaucoma, causing the haloed effect in some of his most famous work including "Starry Night."

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