| act art is not just a mixture of colourful meaningless | | | | creative. |
| patterns and arbitrary shapes. | | | | Indefinate shapes or patterns by the likes of Jackson |
| There is, I believe, a definate therapeutic value to be | | | | Pollock, Peter Lanyon, and Howard Hodgkin (again, |
| found in most of the enigmatic marks made by the | | | | similar works inspired by these very different |
| very different styles available today. What appears | | | | abstract styles can be seen in many exhibitions, |
| to be the most important decision to make is a very | | | | shops and galleries), show a very positive association, |
| careful consideration of the specific audience in | | | | and may perhaps persuade a mind filled with illogical |
| conjunction with the choosing of the appropriate | | | | thoughts to pause, simply take in the apparent |
| artwork. This is not something to be taken lightly or | | | | spontenaiety, and then take a different direction. |
| quickly. This can cover anybody within the wide | | | | Hodgkin style works in particular can be seen as |
| spectrum of individual audiences: a busy boardroom | | | | puzzle like canvases inwhich the observer has no real |
| environment or a single office or room where quick | | | | point of reference so is free to "start" anywhere |
| thinking, fast reactions, and serious decision making is | | | | upon the picture. And because there are very few |
| required; or a worker who returns from a hard days | | | | defined areas sometimes the observer inevitably |
| work simply wanting to be visually massaged by an | | | | finds themself either regarding the piece with little |
| easily observed enigma; or even the space inwhich | | | | emotion, and therefore can freely make a comment |
| the desperate and mostly misunderstood person who | | | | - positive or not. |
| is gradually loosing their tentative hold on the sense | | | | Let us not deny, however, the fact that many an |
| of reality. There is a tremendous variety of | | | | image that has the potential to provoke a negative |
| possibilities. | | | | response can also be of great value to the observer |
| Here are some suggested associations from one | | | | who might actually benefit from seeing such a |
| artists point of view: | | | | challenging picture that bears such a bad association. |
| Colour plays an obvious healing and therapeutic role | | | | Better there on the wall than here inside the head. In |
| to be found in a carefully selected crafted piece, and | | | | this case the classic associations of red for blood and |
| so colour-field work, which is growing in popularity, | | | | danger, black for death and sin, brown for decay and |
| first conceived by artists like Mark Rothko and | | | | illness, along with dramatic lines and movements |
| Ellsworth Kelly with their vast areas of empty colour | | | | found in a painting are equally valuable stimulii if |
| space, might add a general feeling of peace and quiet | | | | revealed within the appropriate environment. This |
| to an otherwise noisy and hectic environment. With | | | | comes back to my point made at the beginning - |
| there being very few variations within such a large | | | | when choosing a picture, very careful consideration |
| image a gentle sense of immersion into abstract | | | | must be taken in order to find that one work of art |
| stillness can slow down any fretful or irratic thinking, | | | | which speaks directly to the very deepest parts of |
| and even assist with the adrenal challenge of a | | | | the observer. |