Introduction: Disability is a complex phenomenon, and the ways it has been conceived, explained and treated have varied notably throughout history. As the years go by, human beings have evolved and, at the same time, so have medicine and art. And therein lies the extraordinary value, from the ontological point of view, of many works of art, which would never have been produced without the intervention of disease and the practice of the medical art. The aim of this work is to address the study of some deficiencies, disabilities and neurological pathologies that have been represented in paintings at different times in history.
Development: This article begins with the study of pictures that deal with dwarves and other misnamed freaks of nature that have been represented by painters from Velazquez to Titian or Rubens. The study looks at paintings of cripples, pictures containing the mentally disabled, with examples by Bruegel the Elder or Munch, as well as certain neurological disorders that have been portrayed in paintings, such as Escaping criticism by Pere Borrell or Sad inheritance by Sorolla. Likewise, we also reflect on the trite concept of disease and artistic creativity.
Conclusions: The artistic representation of deficiency and disability has evolved in parallel to the feelings of men and women in each period of history and, at the same time, their social evolution. Nowadays, this concept continues to advance and some artists no longer represent the sick person, but instead the illness itself.