The Art As Therapy And The Therapy As Art

This essay will analyze the relationship among psychological normality, psychological abnormality and art through cultural studies and social investigations; meanwhile, it will trace the abnormal development of individual mental condition nowadays to the abnormal development of society and art. The term "era of mental disorder" is used to reveal the problems of mental disease caused by the development of modern society, this essay will examine whether it's possible to solve the problems by art, to engage art and therapy in daily life which is transformed by therapy. In this way, new directions are opened both for the creation of artwork and for the study of art therapy.When art engages in life, art therapy acts as a clue showing to us the therapic value of the elements during the creation of artwork, that is, the image communication on the basis of the symbolic nature of art therapy. This process, which constitutes the pre-context of artistic creation, embodies its own knowledge system and corresponding operation mode and also its own way to take effect. The culture study of art therapy aims to analyze how the relationship among psychological normality, psychological abnormality and art is balanced in the process of image communication based on its own knowledge and conventions. Meanwhile, this relationship is the breeding ground of artistic creativity; it can be said that art happens between the normality and abnormality of psychology.Based on the former mentioned relationship it is possible to compare art therapy (art as therapy) and quasi-artistic creation (therapy as art). To further analyze quasi-artistic creation, on one hand, this essay will study the visual art field created by art therapy, explore its inner operation mode, the way it takes effect and the therapic effect of public aesthetics; on the other, in culture study, it will lead to creative practice by abstracting the quasi-creative elements in art therapy; also, it will revolve around daily time and therapic space to discuss the artistic creation and exhibition method when arts engage in society. Finally, through examination of the aftereffect of artwork in society, the essay will discuss the significance of culture study and the artistic creation methodology in dealing with psychological abnormality.