Andres, Angelo H.

BSE – M A P E

M3A1

Watch this video Alain de Botton: Art as Therapy then answer completely the questions
below.
Based on the interview how did Mr de Botton answer the following questions?

1. Why art has therapeutic value?

-“Now what does that mean, therapeutic? Uh, I don't mean like lying on the couch five days
a week and spilling out your childhood. I mean therapeutic in the loose sense. Like we
would say a vacation was therapeutic or this book reading a book, was therapeutic,
or seeing my mother was therapeutic”

2. What role does an art critic have in influencing public about art?

- “Well look, ideally what the art critic would do was function as a bridge between the art and
the audience and would explain the art and tell you why it matters et cetera. Most art critics
make a bit of heavy weather of it because they've been trained. They are so much more
knowledgeable than their audience and they've been trained to speak a technical
language, which other journalists don't necessarily when they're reporting on their areas.
But they tend to be very technical and, they often kill popular enthusiasm. And popular
enthusiasm for art really matters because, you know, there are no large public subsidies
available for museums now in North America. Museums are going to only live and die by
the interest of other people in them. So people have to understand, that art can be
interesting. And despite all the outreach programs, educational programs, look, it's our
sense that the process is not necessarily going brilliantly. I think people are still incredibly
if you like, constipated in front of works of art. They don't necessarily feel that they know
what to do with them. And this book is all about giving you guidance for--with a range of
works, of what you might be able to do in order that they start to matter to you.”

3. How does art work in terms of being force in political or social change?

- “this is why it's really important to get outreach, to get people who speak the same
language around art. I mean imagine if there was a politician in Toronto who said, "My
number one, uh, agenda in, you know in my time in office is I want to make Toronto a really
beautiful city." That would sound really weird. We understand you want to make Toronto a
richer city, a safer city, better education, more opportunities for people. People understand
all that, that's great.”
4. How art may have meaning?

- “Well look, art has multiple meanings, just like with music, right? So you could say, "You
know this piece of music reminds me of my grandmother." And you might go, "Really, it
reminds me of you know the sea wearing down the rocks or something." And both of them
would be as it were. There's no right or wrong but at least we're talking about it in a certain
way, a certain personal direct way. So, um, I don't think there's one meaning to any work of
art. Indeed, a work of art becomes great because it supports a huge amount—because
there's so much going on in a work of art. So there's lots and lots of meanings.”

5. Comment about Mr. Alain de Botton’s talk about art. How do you find it? What
have you learned?

- What I learned in this video art is a basic human instinct and integral to the development of
our collective conscience. Hence people and their lived experiences make a visible impact
on these works. The body of work considers the commonality to form collective visual
experiences for contemplation. The artist fantasizes different realms of his surroundings and
involves community to be a part of his process. “Art As Therapy” celebrates intrapersonal
experiences of common people and translates them into layers of visual narratives that
advocate the collective ownership.