Alzheimer's disease, artwork

Florence Winterflood

An artistic interpretation of Alzheimer's Disease. This painting was created shortly after 'Mama', the artist's grandmother, moved to a nursing home after her Alzheimer's disease progressed to a stage where could no longer look after herself. "She lost a lot of weight, and a broad, strong, matriarch became a feeble, bird-like woman. Yet however small her frame became, her hands remained large and strong and capable." The hand, here a strong tangible image, represents the way the body can settle and remain hardy, even when the mind has become chaotic. The maps breaking up the lines of the hand further represent fragmentation of character, particularly in the way Alzheimer's interrupts neurological pathways in the brain, disrupting and even tearing up, knowledge, thoughts and memories. Painting, oil and ink.