Art as Therapy
Yesterday, while discussing the nuances of a class taken well online, I was distracted by a butterfly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not someone who would be easily shaken from my point by any odd thing that flutters by. It wasn’t just a butterfly; it was a work of art. Black all over, except for beautiful pink markings that came together at the centre to resemble a dopati phool or rose balsam, it brought a sense of joy to my otherwise dull day. It also made me smile, and immediately altered my tone. The colleague I was speaking to must have heaved a sigh of relief! It was my fifth phone call in a series of corrective action calls, and she must have been cringing on the other side until she heard the wonder in my voice, because her tone immediately brightened as she asked me what I had seen. Our tones were all smiles as we talked about the butterfly for the next few seconds, and the conversation definitely ended on a happier note than the last few had!
This is how we respond to beauty, don’t we? Works of art, wrought of nature or the human hand, will bring up awe, wonder and sheer joy — emotions we rarely access in our day to day lives. At the root of it, all arts are imitative. We try to replicate the colours of a gorgeous sunset, or the trilling of a nightingale, or the rhythms of the movements of animals and even trees. Research shows that artistic ability in humans is a key marker in separating human intellect from other animals. Writing, an important milestone in human progress, developed from art. The earliest forms of writing we know of are pictorial, and seek to represent events, beliefs and ideas. Education in the earliest age of human evolution must have involved pictorial depiction; who knows, perhaps cave art was the earliest attempt to educate children of the tribe on the dangers that await and the easiest ways to overcome them! Hunters in many parts of the world continue to imitate animal sounds in an effort to blend in with the environment and warn their peers of danger. Art, then, as often now, served a highly practical purpose.
Of course, then, it makes sense to include Arts in the school curriculum. Even in times such as these, engaging in the Arts will keep children busy, improve their motor skills, build their skills of expression through Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Theatre. But is that all that is worthwhile in an Arts education? Let us return to the idea with which we began the last paragraph. Art affects us emotionally. Viewing, listening or participating in Art triggers parts of us that our everyday working lives rarely can. The sense of wonder, of joy, of deep sorrow that Art can invoke is hardly ever given its due. How many times have you seen something of rare beauty, or heard a beautiful song, watched dancers move in graceful harmony, or a moment of truth unfold in a play, and felt moved to tears? The tears may be teased out of us by Art, but they are in fact built up within us, repositories of our anxieties, fears and failures. In releasing them, we find peace and often, a sense of acceptance towards our selves. Art connects us with our deepest selves and helps bring harmony to our lives.
Art also provokes us to think and to act and ‘know’ things in a way that language cannot. Ever have a feeling that you just cannot put in words? And then you put it into a work of Art, and voilà! You have a term for it. Art, in a sense, creates experience, and then language follows with an attempt to name it.
Most importantly, Art may be timeless, but it exists in the moment. When we get down to create a piece of Art, to sing, to dance with abandon, to slip into the shoes of Othello or Savitribai Phule, we shed our everyday skins and find release in the moment. In that moment of transformation, there is no anxiety, no fear, no worry. There is only wonder, and the joy of discovery
Art brings us balance, gives us hope and teaches us to appreciate the beauty that exists in our everyday lives. Even memories of engaging with Art can bring a smile to our faces. Through deep engagement in the moment, Art helps us to reflect and accept ourselves and our present situations, and to elicit the wisdom that we carry within ourselves. So go ahead, take some time out of your schedule to paint, or sing, or dance, or play a role, or watch, or listen to a work of Art. Be in that moment. Give yourself to it entirely. It will heal you and give back more riches than you can imagine!
_20241127183840_original_image_48.webp)
