Being Powerless and Nothing

While viewing and analyzing the painting titled, “A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière” by Andre Brouillet, a tremendous and massive amount of emotions rushed through me. At first, I didn’t know what to feel and how to act, but little by little I wrapped all my thoughts together and it just hit me what was happening in that painting and I wasn’t okay with it. I felt emotions that I never thought I would feel while just simply looking at a painting. While feeling disturbed intrigued and surprised, it helped me get a clear visual of what the painting is showing. It looks like Jean-Martin Charcot is conducting a lecture for his post-graduate students and there is a woman who is unconscious and passed out while he is lecturing. This lecture is taking place at the Salpêtrière, which is a hospital in France, and it makes me feel like this poor woman is being used for an “experiment” and a privilege for these students to learn from her.

When I was analyzing this image, I came across many observations that made me think even more what was going on. It looks like this woman who is hysterical and vulnerable is being used as an example for a lecture. People are very unpredictable which means you shouldn’t trust anyone especially if you’re not awake. As a matter of fact, I was having trouble understanding why the woman was there at the first place letting these students critique her but then after sitting down and soaking in the painting, I finally understood that she wasn’t at capacity to speak and was sick. Some of the students are even touching and tilting their heads which shows me that they have interest in this, and they all seem really focused analyzing her and listening to Charcot lecturing them.

In the painting, “A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière,” it shows a bunch of Charcot’s students observing and analyzing this poor woman who is passed out. Seeing this made me extremely intrigued because she is being used as a prop and to explain hysteria and that just didn’t sit well with me. I take public transportation every single day to school or to travel in general and I always get intrigued when people stare at me a type of way. Even though this is not the same scenario as the woman in the painting, but I still have the potential and the ability to stand up for myself and ask if something is wrong and in the case of this woman, she can’t. She doesn’t have a voice and is powerless because she’s hysterical and is being used like an object. Even though this woman is unconscious, men are taking advantage of her by examining her and learning information about hysteria. The worst part is that she can’t do anything about it because she’s not awake. 

What disturbed me the most from this painting was the way the man, who was next to Charcot, was holding the girl like she was nothing and not a human being. You can also see a nurse who was behind the girl trying to help stabilize her body. The man was holding her with one hand, and you can clearly see her body draping down. This showed me that not one male had respect for her regardless of her condition which was sad. They simply enjoyed having a physical image present in front of them, or example for them to learn and it didn’t even bother them the way the girl was being treated. The only person who had sympathy and respect was the nurse. She tried to help the woman but since she was a female and not a male she couldn’t because she didn’t have power.

I was also surprised to see that none of the students were concerned whatsoever for the girl. They were okay with learning and expanding their knowledge from this way. What I saw straight away from just looking at this painting was a poor girl in need of help which she never got. It was more important for these male students to learn and become something big then to assist and help a girl who couldn’t even do that for herself. This comes to show that men were powerful and “valuable” in the sense that woman were nothing and “worthless” and men couldn’t care less.

After much deliberation between myself about this painting, I finally understood how lucky and fortunate I am to be able to have a voice and speak for myself. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I ever ended up or experiencing a similar life that the woman in the painting did. Whenever I want or need something, I can express myself and speak but sadly the woman can’t. Hysteria is restricting her from coming out to the world and being free.