The psychopathology of everyday art: a quantitative Study - World ...

of the reader. The opinion of the interpreter is inextricably linked with what was actually
observed and what is known about the patient 129 . Largely, the therapist commented upon
the meaning of the picture and its internal relations based on what the patient said,
knowledge of the patient and observations on significant relationships between figures,
feelings, colours and details. Thus content is not divisible from style. The difficulty of
interpretation is illustrated by the description of pictures produced by a Native American
psychiatric patient, whose compositions were thought of as impoverished and
incongruent with instructions until her background was considered 130 . A few studies
mentioned but did not analyse equally diverse specific identifiable formal signs or changes
in the paintings attributed to therapy, which are included in the following discussion of
form where appropriate.
The most common uses or benefits suggested for art therapy were as a monitor
of progress and as a therapeutic communication. These suggestions are only specifically
valid for art if there is some meaningful way to access the images. The interpretation
varied with the relationship between therapist and patient, orientation of the therapist,
and the emotional involvement of both, which is not to say that it is not meaningful;
certainly it has meaning and effects as related to the verbal interaction with the patient,
just that no evidence justifies its relation to the art.
Observable characteristics in the artwork of patients (form)
129 Problems for the therapist in personal involvement are discussed later under relationships.
130 Table 4, study 2.
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