In the Frame: William Kurelek's "Out of the Maze"

This piece deeply resonates with me. Kurelek’s story of finding a way to wade out of his depression and have a beautiful life after treatment means a lot to me individually. On the surface, the painting is just a family enjoying a picnic on a bright day with the clouds behind them. However, if you knew the background of Kurelek and his other works then you might be able to see how this finishes his treatment journey and the end of the battle with his mental health by 1971.

For a bit of background, William Kurelek (also known as ‘Bill’) was the son of Ukrainian immigrants. He was born in Canada, 1927 and was the oldest of seven children. His move to England took place in his mid-20s, and was self-admitted to Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital in 1952;  having issues with clinical depression, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and mental anguish. Whilst in hospital, Kurelek struggled to talk about his problems with his medical team- and instead painted ‘The Maze’ in 1953 to try and explain how he felt. In this painting, William portrays his childhood as being lonely, his national identity being threatened, whilst he shows his present life (at the time in 1953) as being controlled by a puppeteer, always watched and fearing the end of the world, with his future being riddled with nothing but hopelessness and darkness.

Although I have only recently heard of Kurelek, I truly find myself identifying and relating to his work. Similarly to Kurelek: I was bullied in childhood; found it difficult to speak up; struggled a lot with my feelings when I was younger; and even relied on art therapy in primary school. Which is why I think that it’s so heartwarming to see that his story of coping with mental health had a good ending- where he was able to overcome his stated struggles (such as being unable to find a romantic partner), his childhood fears (being kicked out by his alcoholic father) and free himself from the labyrinth inside his own mind where he felt trapped.

In ‘Out of the Maze’, his former piece is referenced in the bottom left corner. It’s now seen as a part of his life that will always be there- but no longer haunts him. It’s miniscule in comparison to the bigger picture, where he now has a loving family who are taking part in a picnic, with the dark clouds and the bad times behind them.

In his autobiography ‘Someone with Me’, William Kurelek admitted he painted his latter piece ‘Out of the Maze’ partially as a way to repay the NHS who had cared for him during his time at the Maudsley Hospital. Whilst he did work in London for two months, paying taxes from the job he worked at: a framing company near Buckingham Palace, he felt as though he still owed for his hospital care. Kurelek had admitted himself to the Maudsley, which he claims that no Canadian hospital would’ve done unless he’d ‘committed some insane act or had a nervous breakdown.’

‘Out of the Maze’ is a reminder that things can get better, even if it seems all hope is lost. Statistics highlight 1 in 6 people in the UK experience a common mental health problem in their life (such as anxiety and/or depression), which is around 750,000 a year. This amazing piece by Kurelek is a reflection of how things can only go up after hitting rock bottom. Through treatment such as art therapy and ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) alongside discovering himself (through faith); which he believed helped him in getting better from his depression, Kurelek was able to recover. This painting shows his life after treatment, and how anyone can get better from hitting their lowest point in life. How anyone can get over their fears. And how anyone can change their future by improving their present and fixing their problems.

Depression may feel like the end of the world. It’s lonely and dark. But ‘Out of the Maze’ is an allegorical piece about healing and getting better after the long struggle against poor mental health.

People you can talk to if you feel concerned with your mental health:

Samaritans: 116 123 (24hrs)
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): 0800 58 58 58 (from 17:00-00:00)
Childline (for u19s): 0800 1111 (24hrs)
Papyrus (for u35s): 0800 068 41 41 (09:00-00:00)
Shout: text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 for 24hr support, or call 0800 107 0160
Combat Stress (for serving/ex military personnel): 0800 138 1619