The therapeutic dimension of art. Overcoming the trauma of illness and death in art and literature - autotherapy of artists on the basis of Jo Spence's photography, Halina Powiatowska's literature and Bill Viola's video

Abstract

The article concerns the influence of personal traumas of selected artists on the subject taken in artistic works. Author attempts to find an answer to the question whether a person is able to work through a difficult experience through art, and what treatments allow a given effect to be obtained. Examples of artists have been selected while meeting two criteria. The first is the experience of the trauma of one's own illness or illness of one's relatives. The second is the use of an artistic form to develop emotions related to biographical facts. Selected artists who met the criteria discussed in this article are Jo Spence, Halina Poświatowska, Bill Viola. Phototherapy and bibliotherapy is the starting point for reflections on the autotherapeutic effects of art and literature. The first is the trauma associated with cancer and the way in which Jo Spence worked it through in his phototherapy. Next, the article discusses attempts to familiarize with heart disease and experiencing the approach of death by the writer Halina Poświatowska. The article ends with examples of the work of Bill Viola, who has undergone an attempt to change and give new meaning to the traumatic experience of losing his mother.