Psychological Art

To be an artist can sometimes mean going through a constant struggle with yourself and the world around you. Artists carry the need to create. This desire is something they constantly need to take part in order to feel like themselves. Their whole lives are surrounded by that need. It can almost be considered an addiction. The need can be therapeutic or just a necessity for psychological survival.

Review - The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain

by Robert L. Solso

MIT Press, 2003

Review by Kamuran Godelek, Ph.D.

Jul 8th 2004 (Volume 8, Issue 28)

"When combined, the conscious mind and its symbolic technologies generate a powerful chemistry. The brain-symbol interface is the birthplace of art, science, mathematics, and most of the great institutional structures humans have built" (Merlin Donald). This quote at the beginning of the second chapter titled "Art and the Rise of Consciousness" captures the main idea in Robert Solso's very interesting book "The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain". In this book, Solso seeks out an answer to the question as to what type of conscious brain guided the hand that created art that first appeared on earth many years ago. By examining the evolution of the human brain and cognition, he develops a new theory that he calls conscious AWAREness describing the evolution of consciousness and its relationship to the emergence of art."

By Marion Boddy-Evans

Why do I believe Art and Fear  is such a good book? Because it gets straight to the issues that matter so much and hinder our development as artists, such as why you're not painting, why so many people give up painting, the gap between the potential of a canvas and what you produce, the belief that talent is essential.

Art and Fear is not written specifically for painters, but for any creative field, whether you're a writer, musician, or fine artist. But despite this a painter will feels as if it's talking directly to them, addressing issues painters have. It's written in a straightforward, no-nonsense, entertaining manner (and totally lacks psycho-babble or high artspeak).

http://painting.about.com/od/productreviews/fr/Art_and_Fear.htm

I find it incredibly interesting how artists are psychologically driven to create art. Some create just to get through the day while others do the task as naturally as any other involuntary act. These artists' practice as well as process needs to be recognized. The process that is taken to create a piece is just as if not more important than the art piece itself.