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Art as Therapy: Alain de Botton on the 7 Psychological Functions of Art

Art as Therapy: Alain de Botton on the 7 Psychological Functions of Art
by Maria Popova “Art holds out the promise of inner wholeness.” The question of what art is has occupied humanity since the dawn of recorded history. In Art as Therapy (public library), philosopher Alain de Botton — who has previously examined such diverse and provocative subjects as why work doesn’t work, what education and the arts can learn from religion, and how to think more about sex — teams up with art historian John Armstrong to examine art’s most intimate purpose: its ability to mediate our psychological shortcomings and assuage our anxieties about imperfection. Like other tools, art has the power to extend our capacities beyond those that nature has originally endowed us with. De Botton and Armstrong go on to outline the seven core psychological functions of art: What we’re worried about forgetting … tends to be quite particular. 'We don't just observe her, we get to know what is important about her.' But these worries, they argue, are misguided. 'What hope might look like.' Related:  Art

Korean Artist Transforms Her Small Studio Into Dreamlike Worlds Without Photoshop EmailEmail Korean artist Jee Young Lee’s beautiful dreamscapes are living proof that you don’t need Photoshop or even a large studio space to create amazing surreal images. She creates all of these scenes by hand in a room that is only 3.6 x 4.1 x 2.4 meters and then inserts herself into the pictures. Some of these self portraits represent her own experiences, dreams and memories, while others represent traditional Korean folk tales and legends. Source: opiomgallery.com

Anyone can learn to be a polymath – Robert Twigger I travelled with Bedouin in the Western Desert of Egypt. When we got a puncture, they used tape and an old inner tube to suck air from three tyres to inflate a fourth. It was the cook who suggested the idea; maybe he was used to making food designed for a few go further. Far from expressing shame at having no pump, they told me that carrying too many tools is the sign of a weak man; it makes him lazy. The real master has no tools at all, only a limitless capacity to improvise with what is to hand. The more fields of knowledge you cover, the greater your resources for improvisation. We hear the descriptive words psychopath and sociopath all the time, but here’s a new one: monopath. The monopathic model derives some of its credibility from its success in business. Ever since the beginning of the industrial era, we have known both the benefits and the drawbacks of dividing jobs into ever smaller and more tedious ones. In fact, it wasn’t. I thought you were either a ‘natural’ or nothing.

Incredible paintings of sci-fi suburbia will make you wish you were Swedish Welcome to rural Sweden, sometime in the late '80s. Citizens go about their mundane lives and children explore the countryside. But something isn't quite right. Robots and hovercrafts are commonplace, and decaying science facilities sprout from the harsh Scandinavian landscape. There's even a rumor circulating that dinosaurs have returned from the dead after some failed experiment. This is the world that exists in artist Simon Stålenhag's mind, and it's only accessible through his paintings. The artwork is impactful as a result of this juxtaposition between the harsh realities of life and the sci-fi technologies of our dreams. Simon Stålenhag used a Wacom tablet and pen to digitally paint the works below.

The emergence of talent: genius and precocity Ben Fountain was an associate in the real-estate practice at the Dallas offices of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, just a few years out of law school, when he decided he wanted to write fiction. The only thing Fountain had ever published was a law-review article. His literary training consisted of a handful of creative-writing classes in college. He had tried to write when he came home at night from work, but usually he was too tired to do much. He decided to quit his job. “I was tremendously apprehensive,” Fountain recalls. He began his new life on a February morning—a Monday. In his first year, Fountain sold two stories. Ben Fountain’s rise sounds like a familiar story: the young man from the provinces suddenly takes the literary world by storm. Genius, in the popular conception, is inextricably tied up with precocity—doing something truly creative, we’re inclined to think, requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth. Cézanne didn’t. Fountain was riveted by Haiti.

What Happens When You Zap Instant Film With 15,000 Volts | Wired Design Phillip Stearns is an artist who sees beauty where others see computer bugs. Phillip Stearns He collects images of artful computer abnormalities on his blog and has transformed images from fried cameras into tasteful home furnishings, but for his latest project called High Voltage, Stearns is experimenting with electricity and chemistry. Each image in this series is created by zapping Fujifilm instant color film with electricity produced by a transformer used to power neon signs. Stearns' process isn't exposing the film per se. The light from the sparks accounts for some of the bluish colors in the background of the shots, but the electrical "tree" structures, technically called Lichtenberg figures, are created when the electricity vaporizes the silver halides embedded in the film. He adds to the image by pouring liquids—bleach, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol—onto the film and arcing electricity through them which which adds chemical coloration. "Plasma.

About Us - The best tours and the best tutors | Paiting Workshops The best tours and the best tutors We have put together a calendar of the best workshops, with a group of world famous artists as your tutors. All the travel arrangements will be taken care of, so all you have to do is turn up and paint. Our European tours will give you all the care and attention you deserve — no one is left out — and our professional Tour Manager accompanying each group will be on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly. You'll find the exact tour at the right time for you On these pages we hope you'll find the exact painting workshop vacation to suit you. You won't be rushed around either One of the outstanding features of our workshops is that you can really settle down in one place and get to know each region. The choice is yours Chose your tutor or destination from our schedule.

An Incredible Fantasy World Mapped With Google Street View | Raw File Unorthodox Aaron Hobson Iceland Italian Drop-off Civitanova del Sannio Las Champas New York, Ireland La Línea de la Concepción South Africa Falls Middle Earth Spanish Floods Occurence Above Rio Verde Bridge Otuzco Bugarach From German forests to the French Pyrenees, from the Rock of Gibraltar to Iceland’s tundra, artist Aaron Hobson spends endless hours traversing continents looking for eye-catching scenes. There are plenty of GSV photo projects out there, but Hobson’s heavily ‘shopped Cinemascapes are a refreshing departure from the usual documentary reality. “GSV is a fantasy world,” says Hobson. Hobson estimates that 95% of his time on GSV yields nothing of interest, but an accidental benefit is an increased geographical knowledge. “Patience is key. Once he’s got a shot he likes, it’s time to add some fantasy. Hobson came to surfing GSV when he was location scouting for a movie to be directed in Los Angeles. All images: Aaron Hobson It’s just about mad enough, it might be genius.

2nd-9thSeptember Plein-air Watercolour Painting Tuscany (7day) | The Retreat Discover Tuscany through watercolour painting! The rolling hill-sides with its quintessential Tuscan cypress trees, the grand cities of Florence and Arezzo are the ultimate destinations for any aspiring artist. We will be painting whilst following in the foot steps of Renassaince masters such as Michealangelo and Da Vinci. Enjoy the insightful tutorship of experienced English landscape artist John Skelcher; who lives and works in Italy. This is an un-missable once in a life-time painting holiday experience which encompases tuition and sight seeing with personal tour of the world famous Uffizzi gallery, sightseeing in Florence, and painting trips to Arezzo and charming locations in Tuscan towns and the countryside . Click for full itinerary and course description Please note that this course is not based at The Retreat in Le Marche but at our carefully selected retreat and wellness centre in the Tuscan town Poppi near Arezzo. 10% discount for returning visitors.

Artist Wants To Map Every Single Human Skin Tone On Earth Perhaps, in the near future, besides wearing mobile devices on our faces and sporting unisex high-waisted pants, we’ll cease to refer to people as black or white, or some variant in between. Instead, we’ll use their corresponding Pantone color to describe the tone of their skin. If this happens, we’ll have to thank artist Angelica Dass for building the first database of skin hues. Dass started her project, Humanae, in April 2012, by photographing some of her Brazilian family members. Dass sampled a small pixel from the subject’s skin--usually from the well-lit cheek area--and then matched it to a Pantone hue, which is used as the backdrop. She does this with all her photographs for Humanae, which now number around 2,000. “Humanae is a pursuit for highlighting our true color, rather than the untrue red, yellow, black, and white,” says Dass, who is the “granddaughter of a ‘black’ and ‘native’ Brazilian and the daughter of a ‘black’ father adopted by a ‘white’ family.” See more here.

Places to visit - France Painting Holiday, Painting at the Monastery This is our beautiful house in the Deux Sevres region of France, called Bandouille, a wonderful stone building, part 12th century monastery, and part 18th century farmhouse, set within the 24 acre grounds, facing the 12 acre lake. We have numerous outbuildings and barns, the remains of the original church, the magnificent monastery dome, two smaller lakes, fields and orchards. From May to the end of September, we run painting holidays at the house. A really stunning location for any holiday and with a multitude of subjects to draw or paint, whether views across the lake, trees and plants or the array of wildlife, you could spend a wonderful relaxing holiday here, just within the grounds. The holiday is for upto eight guests who will stay with us in the main house, or in the gite in the garden. There are three double bedrooms and two single bedrooms in the main house, and two single beds in the gite.

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