Look at yourself – artworks as a dialogue partner
‘There is a crack in everything / That’s where the light gets in’ Leonard Cohen
From Eye-to-Eye level
In recent years, the way we work together has changed significantly. We want to show more of ourselves and bring our personalities to the table. As a result, we inevitably meet a broad variety of people with whom we want to connect and work together. People who think and act creatively. This challenges us in many ways and raises the following questions: How do we develop an attitude that fosters a positive working attitude and shared growth? How do we strengthen our intuition, deepen our appreciation and manage our emotions accordingly?
From time to time we need to take a look at ourselves, to reflect on how we see ourselves as humans in the world.
Finding your place in life – opening your perception
What do I achieve as a person – how do I make myself and others ‘blossom’, as Martin Seligmann describes it, becomes the question of how I am with myself? Approaches to reflection should address these facets comprehensively. Encounters with works of art as a means of determining one’s own position, e.g. in the format of “coaching in front of art” or the selection of pictures as a self-reflection process, open up the space in many ways and have a special effect. The purposeful engagement with art as an intensive process of approach: perceiving the work, observing details and discovering solutions, reflects our self-image. The exciting thing is that the encounter with art always leads to contact, to resonance – we may or may not feel drawn to a work of art. In the work of reflection, what I have seen, experienced and said is condensed – my emotional mood, how I experience myself and the reflection of what I think about myself.
By working with works of art, we discover ourselves.
The brain plays along – the effects of artworks
Neuroscientists are increasingly interested in the effects of viewing art and the construction of aesthetic experience. Initial results highlight the effect of artistic formats on reflection. In an experimental setting, participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of computer-generated abstract images. One part of the group was told that some of the images were exhibited in renowned art museums. The other part of the group was told that only a computer program had created the images. The results showed that the medial orbitofrontal area of the brain, which correlates with the evaluation of aesthetic experiences, was more strongly stimulated when the participants were told that the pictures were exhibited in a museum. This statement alone led to higher appreciation. The results suggest, among other things, the importance of space when working with works of art.
The museum as a place enhances both the process of self-reflection and the results themselves.
Stages of perception
Helmut Leder describes a five-stage model for viewing works of art from a neuroscientific perspective. This model corresponds to the step-by-step procedure of the ‘Coaching in front of art’ format, in which the location is determined:
First stage, information gathering: The perceptual analysis. When approaching a work of art, a wide range of aspects such as figures, shapes, colors, composition and other perceptual characteristics are first recorded. The first step is to look with curiosity and an open mind, to come into contact with the work of art, in the sense of scanning it and finding an initial resonance.
Second step, comparison with familiarity: Analyzing familiarity. Here the visual information is integrated with existing images, memory structures and experiences in an almost automatic comparison with our initial observations. We feel increasingly familiar with the artwork.
Third stage, conscious categorization: Now we compare the artwork in terms of style and content with works that may be familiar to us. For example, a self-portrait might remind us of works by Van Gogh if the painting has a similarly expressive color scheme. This manifests itself in statements such as This picture reminds me of…
Fourth stage, appropriation: At this stage a transition takes place. We interpret the artwork and appropriate it. On the one hand, we do this from an art-specific perspective, e.g. how does a garden painting by Monet with its intense colors affect me? On the other hand, we add self-related reasons – what does the work of art mean to me personally: e.g. Monet’s painting corresponds to my desire for inner space and blossoming.
Fifth stage, anchoring: Finally, two aspects emerge: A: A state of cognition resulting from previous knowledge plus new experience. B: An emotional state, as an interaction between the above and personal emotional mechanisms (memories, feelings, fears…).
The cognitive state forms the basis of the aesthetic judgment: ‘I can appreciate this’. The emotional state is experienced as a moment of ‘being touched’. Both the aesthetic judgment and the emotional connection to the work are the effective factors that lead to the sustainable anchoring of a solution in coaching and self-reflection work. In her book ‘Embodies Visions – What does it mean to look at a work of art’, author Siri Hustvedt writes that the viewer plays an essential role in creating the meaning of a work of art.
We create the work of art through our perception. We charge it and at the same time become part of it.
Art as a catalyst for well-being
The WHO has been studying the link between health and culture for several years. In 2019, it published a meta-analysis of more than 3,000 studies on the subject. In it, the WHO describes how exposure to art and culture has a positive effect on mental and physical well-being. Sociologist Hartmut Rosa writes that “encounters with art, for example, (can) touch us.” We allow ourselves to be touched, we are moved, and in the best case a transformation takes place from which we emerge a little different.
Working with works of art leads to a close connection between cognition and being touched. These are the essential points of self-reflective work.
Implementation
There are two formats for working with art as part of a site analysis. Firstly, ‘coaching in front of art’. The second is the personal ‘dialogue’ with the work of art. Both formats follow a similar dynamic, whereby coaching in front of art creates a kind of triangular situation between coach, coachee and artwork, while the dialogue is an intensive process of self-reflection, a dialogue with your self.
Take the following steps
- choose your topic, e.g. my self-image and impact as a person in my professional environment, and formulate your question, e.g. how can I radiate and convey more self-confidence?
- choose an artwork as intuitively as possible. Trust your instincts.
- observe the work of art: collect details and let it work on you. Take your time.
- think about your initial question and how the artwork can help you develop ideas for a solution – e.g. the portrait exudes confidence and optimism.
- Summarize your thinking – e.g. I want to build on my strengths to become more…
- complete the process and embed the solution. Consider: What part of the artwork do you want to take with you?
Simply looking at a work of art over a long period of time almost inevitably leads to answers to questions you have been asking yourself.
Summary
For many people, finding their way through art is a new beginning. If you are able to engage, the picture, the question, time and space condense into a substantial experience. The experiment of a new beginning through art begins with a trip to the museum and a chair. That’s all you need, as the artist Ad Reinardt once said.
