In old age, the Impressionist painter Claude Monet dedicated himself almost entirely to painting water lilies. Depressed by bereavement, declining sight and the events of World War One, he was encouraged by the politician George Clemenceau to create a gallery lined with these paintings, in the Orangerie in Paris – as a space where people could contemplate, relax and reflect. Monet spent his life creating great art, but he clearly believed that looking at art too is time well spent.
Famous paintings can enrich life in so many different ways. Looking at a painting, learning a little about when or why it was painted, enjoying the colours, lines and style, can be a mental and visual stimulus to think about. Sometimes it can also be fun to try copying the picture or creating your own version of the artwork, interpreting it slightly differently. You notice a lot more about a painting if you do this, taking time to look closely and to work with the art.
But great art can also set you thinking and talking about your own life and experiences, about your wellbeing and mental health. Everyone will respond differently to any one painting, but most art throws up thoughts and ideas that are worth exploring. At the end of the day, art is all about life and the experience of living. So a portrait, a crowd scene, a landscape, a colourful abstract, all have something to say about what it is to be alive. How will you respond? This can open up new ways of thinking about your life and of exploring thoughts and feelings. You might prefer to reflect on a painting alone, or you might find it more helpful to think in a group, sharing with others and hearing how they react to the art. You might find common ground, or you might see things from someone else’s perspective.
Some famous paintings and sculptures feel particularly suited to expressing emotions. More modern and contemporary art can be more expressive. Take Picasso’s Weeping Woman, a dramatic painting that might set you thinking and talking about what may have distressed the sitter, and then what distresses you, or how crying makes you feel. Some Abstract Expressionist paintings use colour fields to explore how different shades of colour express mood. Edward Hopper’s paintings show city life as desolate and lonely.
However, I feel that almost any painting could spark off thinking and sharing. Seeing a place or a person or a scene through the painter’s eyes can crystallize how you feel about something, whether the scene is happy and carefree or sad, bare and disconsolate. Even a painting like a Cezanne still life, which might seem an unlikely fit, could make you think about celebrating the little everyday things in life, how there’s beauty in a bowl of apples or a vase of flowers that can raise the spirits.
Some museums and galleries now host wellbeing events and opportunities to talk about their paintings. But just looking at a painting in a book or online can open up helpful thoughts and conversations. This could also feel less direct than just opening up about your own issues straight away, which might feel too personal.
Do you have any thoughts? It would be great if you’d like to share – just go to Medley’s Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/359291215486002 Thank you