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Dream The Impossible Dream (now sold out) by Bob Barker has special resonance for Tabitha Dale
Art for the soul
Art’s greatest power is surely its ability to move us, connecting the visual with the emotional in a way that is personal to each individual. After all, as Cezanne succinctly put it, emotion is at the heart of creation. It stands to reason then, that art has a far more meaningful place for its collectors than simply the wall on which it hangs. Kate Foster asks, is art genuinely good for the soul?
T hink about when you last enjoyed a work of art. Maybe you’re doing it now. Perhaps it is a cherished piece that is part of your home. It might be the Titian in the National Gallery that you are drawn to every time you visit. Or something you saw in passing in a magazine such as this, or in a local gallery. Wher- ever it was, whatever it was, the chances are that you connected with it on an emotional level. And perhaps beyond enjoying the immediate emotional reac- tion that it sparked, the artwork had even deeper benefits. Many collectors agree, a little like a romantic relationship, the aesthetic may be what draws us in, but it’s our own connection with a piece that keeps us there. “It brings me calm, whenever I look at it. That’s why I had to
buy it,” explains Tabitha Dale, a government scientist who has collected for several years, of her favourite piece. “It’s a Bob Barker city dreamscape and the more I gazed at it, the more I loved it.” And just as in human relationships, the bond grows deeper with time. Tabitha ex- plains, “I’ve owned and enjoyed this piece for 3 years, and each time I look at it, I see and feel something new.” Harlesden-based collector and artist Mike (known as PIKY) sees this relationship with art clearly from both sides. “To me, a 'great' piece of art has layers to it, and these percolate through the subconscious, so you’re con- tinually finding something new. It absorbs you in ever further.” Soul reviver No wonder, then, that art has
“Awork of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” - Paul Cezanne
long played an important part in therapy, for those who have suffered physical or mental trauma. Even on an everyday level, the benefits of art as a form of therapy (organised or not) stand to reason: aside from the healing process of creation, art can provide a freedom where normal rules
don’t apply and there is no right or wrong answer. For both the artist and the art appreciator, this freedom is a deeply personal experience, allowing one’s own emotions to be expressed and interpreted safely, simply because they cannot be ‘wrong’. And when you think about the pressures
FINE ART COLLECTOR SPRING 2013
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