WOP

Works On Paper

Contemporary Drawings by Michelle Flanagan

Painting titled, 'Social Anxiety Disorder' (SAD), depicting the mental illness Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), or Social Phobia.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
oil creme, pastels & collage on paper
diameter 25 inches
2003

This drawing was one of the last in the series of round format or tondo drawings I made during the winter of 2003. As with much of my artwork, I didn't begin with a specific concept; however, I did approach the drawing with different stylistic interests. I wanted to see what would happen with a figure placed as close as possible to the edge of the paper.

As the figure emerged it became uncomfortable and I started to feel a sense of slipping and anxiety. Next thing I knew, it became a visual representation of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), or Social Phobia. Conceptually, it became an attempt to make visible, through psychological and emotional realism, what Social Anxiety Disorder/Phobia looks and feels like.