I have a confession to make:
Posting the “art as therapy” galleries takes a lot of courage.
Charing Cross Bridge, Fog
Claude Monet
Oil on Canvas
1903
73.0 x 92.0 cm
You see, I have no art training.
Nor have I got any psychiatry training.
I’m just going with my gut here.
But
I love art.
And I attend gallery shows, and visit museums, and I cry in front of Botticelli paintings, and I get special treatment from the guards in the Sistine Chapel, and I risk my life to see some paintings.
Art as Therapy has given me a glimpse as to why I would risk my life to see a Carl Jeppe self-portrait: because the act of looking at art is a gateway into my own psyche. Art can provide solace where solace is needed, and provoke deeper inquiry where I have become complacent. Art can help me feel less lonely, and open me up to experiences I would not otherwise be privy to.
I took up the challenge that Mr. de Botton poses, to collect works for my viewing benefit. I do this on a whim, when I’m inspired, and like I said, without any formal training (call me an “outsider curator”, if you will). Sharing these here is nerve-wracking, because, well, what if I’m wrong?
You know who’s not wrong?
Alain de Button and Joan Armstrong.
They have been collaborating with art galleries and curating specific exhibitions physically in the real world.
Like at the Rijksmuseum.
I’m going to continue sharing my own galleries because they’re fun to do. And if you think I’m wrong, well, that’s okay. Because they’re right for me, today. My gut tells me so.