title: Creativity and mood disorders: The enigmatic case of Isaak Il'ich Levitan (1860-1900).
abstract: Isaak Levitan (1860-1900) was one of Russia's most influential landscape artists. He lived a very short life, only 40 years, but left more than 1000 paintings. He suffered from mood fluctuations, and died as a result of serious heart disease. After an introduction related to the issue of creativity and mental disorders, a short biography of Levitan's life is outlined, followed by some examples of his mood and behavior. A section on the mood's reflection in Levitan's professional work is followed by a description of his romantic loves and disappointments and his relationship with his contemporary Russian, the writer Anton Chekhov.
authors: 1 Ben Gurion University of the Negev and Be'er Sheva Mental Health Center, Be'er-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Lerner
authors: 2 Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Israel.
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Margolin
authors: 1 Ben Gurion University of the Negev and Be'er Sheva Mental Health Center, Be'er-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Eliezer
authors: E
authors: Witztum
mesh_terms: D003405:Creativity; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders; D010151:Paintings; D012426:Russia
keywords: Levitan; affective disorders; artist; creativity; depression