NYC Art Bridge An emotional wellness of art

 

NYC Art Bridge

 An emotional wellness of art

                                                                                                                             by Luchia Meihua Lee

 

 "The value of a work of art … lies in its power to bestow happiness. The values of this power naturally stand in a causal relation to the psychic needs they satisfy.”

 --Wilhelm Worringer (1881-1965), “Abstraction and Empathy, A Contribution to the Psychology of Style

  Carle Chi, Prayer, 2014, oil on panel, 14 x16 inches

 Art historian W. Worringer argued that artistic creation should strive for the truth of organic life, characterized as a form of naturalism that reflects empathy. From this perspective, art establishes a connection with the external world, removing it from arbitrariness and randomness. By doing so, art purifies the flux of being and attains an appropriate absolute value. Moreover, if self-alienation is regarded as a profound driver, then art can be appreciated precisely because it is psychologically motivated. Art arises from and satisfies psychic needs, thus fulfilling an essential role in human experience.

NYC Art Bridge is an exciting and innovative initiative that aims to bring together different sectors of the community to exchange ideas around mental health and art. By creating a network that includes art professionals, mental health professionals, families, and individuals, the initiative provides a safe and culturally-informed space for discussion of experiences and feelings about mental health. The focus on collaboration, beauty, and harmony speaks to the potential for art to serve as a unifying force that brings together people of various backgrounds and experiences.

While the aesthetic sense of antiquity is inadequate to explain all of art history, a more modern and comprehensive view sees art creators as driven by an inner need and seeking self-activation through a process of empathy, allowing mankind to locate itself in relation to the cosmos. Empathetic art can take various forms and reveal itself as a natural vitalization or a psychic impulse. However, while the concept of empathy explains some parts of art well, it fails to value the full artistic panoply. To complement empathy, Worringer famously appealed to abstraction. The selection of artists presented in NYC Art Bridge promotes a discourse on the concepts of empathy and abstraction in an aesthetic system.

Through art creation and discussion, people can travel towards mental wellness as they explore and express their emotions and thoughts. Rather than merely attempting to capture the outer world, they strive to redeem the given object through the transformative power of art.

Having deliberate discussions with these artists can yield deeper insights into the inspiration behind their artworks, and how their personal experiences condition their artistic practices. These interviews can also help foster a sense of community among participants and promote open and honest conversations about mental health and wellness.

It may be argued that the highest beauty and artistic fulfillment can only be achieved when the artist expresses ideas that are in harmony with the appearance of the outer world. This may involve confronting our spiritual dread of time and space, which can be bewildering but can also lead to a deeper understanding of the world.

Medical science has recognized the potential of art in revealing mankind's creativity and promoting mental wellness, which can help individuals enter into a relationship of friendly confidence with the outer world and lead to a shift from the practical, material world towards a more abstract and peaceful expression. By exploring these themes and showcasing the work of diverse artists, the NYC Art Bridge program facilitates a meaningful dialogue about mental health and emotional wellness in our community.

The exhibit highlights the importance of artistic volition and how it has evolved to encompass a wide range of styles and media. It also emphasizes the impact of cultural experience and community on artistic expression and how it can inspire innovation and creativity. Artists use their unique life experiences to create art that can provide a new perspective on the universe and ourselves. For example, Huey-min Chuang's paintings and drawings about her personal journey, Cecile Chong's video about language learning, Poyen Wang's animation showing a lonely boy, Hsin-yi Liu's painting of a busy teddy bear, and CHATogether's graphic novel about parenthood all offer different ways of looking at the world and potentially inspire viewers to reflect on their own lives.

Leo Tolstoy's perspective on art as a means of communication and progress is particularly relevant to the importance of art in bridging the gap between different cultures and communities. In the Asian community, belief often takes precedence over scientific psychiatric treatment, leading to a need for alternative approaches to addressing mental health concerns. Hence, art can provide a means of expression and communication that transcends cultural and linguistic barriers.

Moreover, by emphasizing the imperfections and inconsistencies of life, art encourages a sense of empathy and compassion among individuals, promoting social and emotional healing. This aligns with Tolstoy's notion of art as a means of defining the highest good at which society aims, and agrees with Worringer’s recognition that every style of art represents the “maximum bestowal of happiness for the humanity that created it,” and his feeling that this should be the supreme dogma of all objective consideration of the history of art.

Exploring the dimension of artistic volition and bringing together artists, mental health professionals, and the public in a cross-disciplinary setting, NYC Art Bridge can help promote emotional wellness and facilitate frank discussion about important issues facing our community. By addressing themes such as bias against the AAPI community and the immigrant experience, the project can help raise awareness about pressing social and cultural issues while also providing a platform for artists to express themselves and showcase their work.

Now, art can serve as a means to explore deeper aspects of human existence and the world around us, including spiritual and philosophical dimensions. Hence, through artistic expression, artists can convey complex emotions and ideas that might be difficult to put into words, and thereby enrich our understanding of ourselves and the world we inhabit. Ultimately, the goal of NYC Art Bridge is to provoke discussion of the urgent social issues of the moment.

References:

Worringer W. Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style, International Universities Press, New York, 2014

Tolstoy, L. What is Art? Digireads.com Publishing, 2020

Mukařovský, J., Abstract Functions, in Harrison C and Wood P, Art Theory 1900 - 2000, Blackwell Publishing 2006

Schapiro, M., The Social Bases of Art, in Harrison C and Wood P, Art Theory 1900 - 2000, Blackwell Publishing 2006