In this painting “A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière”, Andre Brouillet creates a complex yet intriguing composition. The painting is divided into three sections. On the far left is a group of men, presumably students of medicine, who seem to be struck with fear when viewing what is taking place before them. In the center of the piece are four men, also students, who gaze in wonder at the events currently unfolding. Finally, to the far right, is Jean-Martin Charcot, a respected neurologist, holding a woman who has fainted, likely due to a hysteric episode.

            It is within this elaborate composition; one can find the true meaning of the work. Brouillet deliberately paints more individuals on the left side of the room and paints a limited number on the right. He does so because he wanted to depict the clear divide between those who feared the unknown, and those who chose to understand it. The men on the left are hidden in the shadow, clouded by the darkness of ignorance, while Charcot and the woman are in the light, facing the world directly without apology. At the time, the broken mind was incomprehensible to many and was widely ridiculed. However, Brouillet demonstrated how the complexity of the mind was not something to fear, but something to learn from. This is seen in the group of four men in the center, who are the most illuminated by the light source, eager to learn and unwrap the mysteries of the mind. This is a concept Freud himself valued, which is why this painting was hung in his office. Freud would emphasize how doctors would tend to not treat patients who did not suffer from any physical ailments as they themselves could not understand them. He, however, did the opposite and delved deeper into the mind to learn and understand more of its secrets.   

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