Under Pressure

This image is of a sculpture created by Patsch Work. It shows a humanoid clay sculpture splayed out on the ground, weighed down by black rocks falling on top of it and spilling from its head. Based off of the title and the disposition of the figure, the viewer can likely assume that the figure was under too much pressure, represented by the black rocks, that it could no longer withstand anymore. This exhibit relates to melancholy through the emotions it conveys in the viewers and through the image of black rocks spilling from the figure's head. Galen described black bile as being located in three different places in the body, one of which was in the head. The black rocks spilling out of the head would be viewed by ancient physicians as an imbalance of black bile in the brain. The figure would have been diagnosed as suffering from a severe case of melancholy, in which there was too much black bile, causing the figure to die. In Melancholia of Man and Woman, Hildegard of Bingen stated that "if one humor overcomes the others in a person and does not observe its proper limits, that man becomes sick and weak... man cannot maintain himself using one, two, or even three humors." This figure would have been interpreted to have been suffering from balancing only one or two humors and incapable of bearing this unequal distribution of fluids, thus causing its downfall.

This photograph compares to "Can't Help Myself," the exhibit of the mechanical arm fruitlessly trying to clean up the red liquid seeping over the floor. The humanoid figure in this photo is a physical representation of what the machine's actions conveyed as it neared the end of its life, finally defeated from the pressures that came with having to complete an impossible job.

This sentiment can be compared to present-day society. Society nowadays is extremely competitive; especially for the younger generations. Students now are expected to participate in many extracurriculars, take as many honors or AP classes as they can, and find ways to further build their resume beyond all these activities if they want to get into their college of choice or receive the job they want. This is a lot of pressure on kids, and at one point most kids have probably experienced the feelings of frustration or of being overwhelmed that the machine and this clay figure are showing. Because of this, looking at these works of art stirs up feelings of sorrow or sympathy in the onlookers because it is a feeling they can relate to or were able to relate to at one point. This shared feeling isn't limited to the younger generation, but that is just one example of how societal pressures are pushing people towards the state of melancholy displayed in this object.