23 November, 2024
Angel of the Flame II, monoprint with mixed media, 22.5 x 15 in; my most recent angel painting.
“Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.”
Art as Therapy
I don't think it's a secret that most artists, at some time or another, process their feelings through art-making. In fact, it's often our emotional reactions to events in our lives that prompt or inspire us to make art in the first place.
Expressing what we feel through our work tends to come naturally to most makers. While not quite the same as 'formal' art therapy, where psychological healing rather than the production of art is the end goal, it is definitely nonetheless therapuetic. (I almost decided to study art therapy years ago, but that's another story.)
Just think of any famous artist you can name. Here are a couple for your consideration.
Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Picasso's "Guernica"
I don't think it's possible to look at this painting and not sense Picasso's anguish and outrage. He had been commissioned to do a painting for the Spanish pavillion at the World's Fair, the theme of which was 'a celebration of modern technology'. They got this very visceral response instead.
"Picasso’s painting is based on the events of April 27, 1937, when Hitler’s powerful German air force, acting in support of Franco, bombed the village of Guernica in northern Spain, a city of no strategic military value. It was history’s first aerial saturation bombing of a civilian population." (Lynn Robinson, smarthistory.org)
Because of it's anti-fascist message, "...it became the butt of criticism from apologizers of fascism. The German guidebook for Paris International Exposition advised people from visiting Picasso’s piece. They described the painting as “a hodgepodge of body parts that any four-year-old could have painted”. (Ishika Paruthi, radartmedia.com)
Frida Kahlo's - Everything
Well, this one is really too easy, because Frida Kahlo's work is literally her inner life laid bare. Whatever she felt, whatever experiences she was going through, she put them right out there for all to see. She was so fearless and vulnerable in her self-revelation, I don't think a 'vulnerability hangover' ever even crossed her mind.
Henry Ford Hospital, above, was painted after one of Frida's many miscarriages. Due to a near-fatal accident at age 18, she was never able to have a child. Her pain is clearly on display here, as it is in The Broken Column, left, and The Wounded Deer, below.
Calling All Angels
I'll probably never paint a self portrait or depict my suffering like Frida did, or paint anything so epic as Picasso's Guernica. I hold my cards closer to my chest, and I hate vulnerability hangovers. But I do work through my feelings in many of my pieces, though in a much more subtle way.
I made this video/slide show of some of my artworks after the election on November 5, 2024. I like the mythology and symbolism of angels, and find the thought of help from superior beings appealing in these crazy times for some reason. Perhaps it's a symptom of desperation.
On instagram, this video was accompanied by the song "Calling All Angels" by Jane Sibbery. I guess there is a copyright issue or something, because whenever I try to upload or imbed it, the music is removed. Anyway, I have included a youtube version of the song below, which is really beautiful.
We can all be each other's angels, my friends, by watching out for and comforting one another whenever we can. Much love and big hugs.
Thank you for sharing your insights.