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Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals as beautifully white, which influencedhospital interior design (Baron, 1999: 11). These changes also coincided witheconomic and social changes in western societies, including the emergenceof medical science as the dominant discourse in health care (Lee andJackson, 2002: 116). Hence, arts based approaches to healing took a backseat until the 1960s when there was a re-emergence of the concept of healingarts.3.2 Appropriate and inappropriate art in health careThe notion of appropriate and inappropriate arts in health care featuresstrongly in the contextual literature. While individual differences, as well ascultural differences and gender, influence preferences for the form andcontent of art (Zuckerman et al., 1993), there is also a sense that art in healthcare should address specific concerns. In particular, the restorative functionsof nature images are contrasted with the negative impact of abstract,ambiguous or disturbing images (Ulrich, 1992).The notion that hospital environments should be bright and avoid gloom isalso echoed throughout history. Barry Edginton (2003) traces the beginningsof ‘moral architecture’ back to the design of The York Retreat. Built in 1796,The York Retreat was constructed on the premise that the asylum was amode of treatment, and that the physical environment was a crucial part of thehealing process. Quakers Tuke and Bevans wanted to create an environmentthat provided sanctuary, representing homeliness, order and calm to aidrecovery. Nature was a central theme in the design of The York Retreat; Tukefelt strongly that the design should feature large windows in the galleries andunobstructed views of the surrounding countryside. Cheerfulness was also avalued feature of The Retreat and was attempted through carpets, paintingsand wallpaper – quite revolutionary at the time. Overall, treatment of mental illhealth was viewed as requiring a humanistic rather than medicine-basedapproach to treatment (Edginton, 2003).Since the 1960s, these notions have re-emerged through schemes likePaintings in Hospitals, which consists of a collection of 1400 paintings that arerented out to hospitals for display. The emphasis is on positive and cheeringimages, not challenging ones, as Raphael Eban, a member of the committeeexplains:‘The policy is not to consider works which are gloomy ordisturbing in content or excessively sombre in colour… care istaken to exclude those which might be considered to have adisturbing interpretation. The general tone of the collection istherefore positive and bright…’ (Eban, 1997: 36)Hence, hospital arts projects often tend to involve intense preparatory stageswhere not only are patients consulted, but also staff and other stakeholders.Similarly, increasing numbers of arts interventions taking place withinhospitals are subject to some sort of evaluation, often in the form of a surveycompleted by patients and staff.10