Art as Therapy: a summary of chapter two

By Fatemehsadat Abdollahzadehhoseini

How does art change your life? It is explained by Alain de Botton and Jone Armstrong in their book “Art as Therapy”. They claim that art teaches us how to be good at love.

Human relationships can become complicated over a period of time and it causes some conflicts between couples. When two people from different gender, culture, upbringing, and different worlds live together, problems are inevitable.


Raw material in successful artwork is similar to some necessary ingredients in our prosperous relationships.

Art helps us to know how to behave logically, sensitively, and sustainably in our relationships.

For instance, in this painting, the artist has painted the flowers so delicately and accurately. It looks as if he already asked them what their specific characteristics are.

Hugo van der Goes

Patience is the next essential lesson that the couples can learn from artworks. In fact, patience indicates the capability of doing something without being excited in order to get pleasure from a sustainable relationship even though it takes a long time.

In this painting, the artist is trying to say, every good thing is made by ordinary materials. Success has been achieved in familial ties by tolerating difficulties and trying to avoid taking pleasure in immediate victory in controversy.

Richard Long

In some cases, one of the couple has been apprehensive about misinterpreting his/her partner. When a partner mistakenly knows about our inner world, in argument tries to bring up the past knowledge about our character to the present situation and obviously make a wrong judgment and judge the book by its cover.

While we have to make the effort as accurate as Da Vinci's in this artwork and investigate his or her partner’s temperament passionately and lovingly.

Leonardo da vinci

This illustration demonstrates parent’s flexible reaction toward a tiger that suddenly came to their home. Illustrator tries to show us how to be flexible when we face with unanticipated situation without becoming furious and devastated.

Judith Kerr

Unwanted event comes along in life but it isn't the end of the world. The solutions have been found for problems; we can get along with unexpected event and convert Threats to opportunities.

A sensible person doesn’t judge rapidly and doesn’t lose his/her temper immediately so it can be said that logic makes us more successful in our emotional relationships. A regular architectural structure has shown us how to base each components of our relationship on logic. It invites you to put your mind at ease and find sense of serenity and accuracy. One of the main problems in relationship is about how to explain bitterness. In some cases couples behave emotionally and don't speak reasonably. Having constructive discussion helps us to maintain a healthy relationship.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Foresight means considering problems that will be interlaced with human fate. When Nicolas Poussin illustrates the sinking of Noah's ark, tries to show how we sometimes hold onto a log to rescue our lives. Being defeated in a relationship doesn't mean the end of the world.

Nicolas Poussin

Another difficulty is the monotony of the relationship. Having artistic outlook on life helps us to understand the value of reassessing our partner and falling in love with them again. Artistic procedure means that we discover delicacy and value in daily routine. Like Manet's approach to the asparagus pack.

Edouard Manet

Imagination is a long haul voyage that can be apprehensive but we have to acquire essential skills to reach our intended destination healthily. To understand the necessary skills, we need to recognize the dangers of travel. In this picture the artist reminds us not to expect comfort in valuable journeys.

Fredric Edwin Church

Finally art can play a fundamental role in creation and maintenance of love.