Tortured artist

A tortured artist is a stock character and stereotype who is in constant torment due to frustrations with art, other people, or the world in general.

[4][1] Another figure matching the description of the "tortured artist" is Ludwig van Beethoven, who, after losing his hearing,[5] became increasingly reclusive and apathetic towards society.

[6][7] In the Heiligenstadt Testament, Beethoven confesses his loss of hearing to his brothers Nikolaus and Kaspar and tells them of his inability to converse regularly anymore as well as his contemplation of suicide.

[10] Multiple studies have found that rates of mental illness were several times greater than average in creative professions.

According to Victoria Tischler of the University of West London, creative fields often have low wages and long working hours, leading to poor mental health.

Vincent van Gogh , Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, Easel and Japanese Print , January 1889. Van Gogh, who struggled with poverty and mental illness for most of his life, is regarded as a famous example of the tortured artist.
Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, painted in 1820, long after he began to lose his hearing and became reclusive. Beethoven is in a forest writing his Missa Solemnis in D Major.