Food for thought at the Stedelijk

There’s a perfectly good reason why psychologists are using forms of art as therapy. If your mind is susceptible to enjoying- and seeing the beauty in art, chances are you’ll feel better after immersing yourself in an art-filled environment. It doesn’t really matter what form of art, whether it’s enjoying music, visiting a museum, or a street festival, broadening your mind with some culture is always good.

Brain training.

Not only is art pleasing on the eye, it’s also pleasing on the brain. Whether it’s understanding the final outcome of a piece of art, or learning the development process of how the artist got to the finishing point, each step of evaluation encourages you to look at things from a different perspective.  Understanding art isn’t necessarily meant to be straightforward, it challenges your ability to analyse, and in some sense empathise.

The good, the bad, the ugly.

We live in a world where everything is becoming more accessible. You can create art (if you can call it that) on your iPad, your phone and now even on social media. The amount of times I’ve seen a masterpiece generated from Snapchat’s draw function is ridiculous. There is however a significant difference of appreciating art in a gallery. Whether it’s something to do with a vacant emptiness in a photograph, or getting a feel for a paint layered canvas, it’s much nicer to immerse yourself in opinions in a gallery, than it is over the internet. Even if you’re not that fond of the crisp packet mounted on the wall that claims to be a piece of modern art.

Refining your eye.

It would be a tremendously boring world if everyone liked the same things. Art acts as an escape, as well as an appreciation for people’s differences.  In general people are busy. Especially at work, so here at Spaces we believe it to be really important to have a few minutes of useful, and attractive distraction every now and again. The more art you see, the more you develop a taste for what you like and don’t like, so ultimately you’re learning to refine your eye. This is a skill that can be transferred, so it’s pretty useful to have.

Need some food for thought? Join us  at the Stedelijk on May 26th for breakfast, a guided tour, and a perfect chance to experience that attractive distraction.