Irina Katz-Mazilu
Aesthetics and Ethics in Art and Art Therapy
Abstract
Philosophy has questioned the nature of beauty, aesthetics and ethics since old times. Recent scientific explorations and philosophical thinking constantly deepen the understanding and knowledge about the abundant complexity of the intricate natural and cultural elements in the world. Contemporary interpretations of the role of art and artists confront opposite points of view: for some, art is free to express any opinion and philosophy of life even imprinted by violence and destructivity; for others, art is part of the human efforts to preserve the natural and the cultural life in the world. In this discussion about Art, we have to clarify the relationship between aesthetics and beauty before considering ethical issues. On the contrary, in art therapy, Ethics is a fundamental component of any professional strategy. The creative process is therapeutic only if the art therapist is able to establish an ethical relationship with the client and groups. The empathic creative relationship is specific to art therapy and needs theoretical underpinnings and elaborated methodologies. In this field, the concept of aesthetics and correlated forms of beauty has to be analysed in the perspective of the clients’ well-being.
Philosophy has questioned the nature of beauty, aesthetics and ethics since old times. Recent scientific explorations and philosophical thinking constantly deepen the understanding and knowledge about the abundant complexity of the intricate natural and cultural elements in the world. Contemporary interpretations of the role of art and artists confront opposite points of view: for some, art is free to express any opinion and philosophy of life even imprinted by violence and destructivity; for others, art is part of the human efforts to preserve the natural and the cultural life in the world. In this discussion about Art, we have to clarify the relationship between aesthetics and beauty before considering ethical issues. On the contrary, in art therapy, Ethics is a fundamental component of any professional strategy. The creative process is therapeutic only if the art therapist is able to establish an ethical relationship with the client and groups. The empathic creative relationship is specific to art therapy and needs theoretical underpinnings and elaborated methodologies. In this field, the concept of aesthetics and correlated forms of beauty has to be analysed in the perspective of the clients’ well-being.
1. Introduction
“de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum” [1].
If everybody might agree—at least inside a tolerant and inclusive human society—that one’s preferences are subjective and thus should not be matter of judgement or discrimination, it appears as more difficult to find consensual definitions about aesthetics in a social context.
Philosophy has questioned the nature and relationships of beauty, aesthetics, and ethics since old times. Human communities have constantly used art modalities everywhere to regulate individual and social emotional life. Even the oldest human artefacts, though created in an utilitarian perspective, show aesthetic preoccupations—but why spend so much time and effort to make a tool beautiful and not just practical?
Recent research in neuroscience and neuroaesthetics describe the universal human thriving for creation and art as a response to the primary need of balance, harmony, and appeasement when facing life difficulties, pain, and distress.
2. The aesthetic brain
Many theories have been elaborated on the nature and function of the arts, on human creativity, and skills. Arts have accompanied pragmatic, philosophic, and religious thinking from the very beginnings of the human society, offering individual and community emotions’ regulation. Through current neuroscientific research, we learn more and more about our body and mind needs. A specific aesthetic thriving offers individual/inner and social/environmental regulation, harmony, and balance through the perception and creation of beauty. It appears that the aesthetic needs are as fundamental as the other human needs [2]. Our condition is not physically based. The aesthetic and cultural needs actually characterise our belonging to the species. The expressive arts’ languages are transversal and universal, as the human body and mind functioning is fundamentally similar all over the Earth. Satisfying the physiological basic needs offers survival—but an authentic belonging to the human condition implies an active participation in a social and cultural activity [3]. The concept of inclusivity means that every human, independent of age, race, gender, culture, in any physical and mental health conditions, is an actor in the World, together with all the other elements of the living and the non-living environment.
3. Art and ethics
If we can assume that art is acting through aesthetic elements—such as emotional impact and effectiveness created by art media, narratives, metaphores and symbols—what about the relationships between art and ethics? Does art imply moral and ethical aspects which would be a condition for artistic value? A thorough survey of contemporary philosophical reflection is presented in the article “Art, Morality and Ethics: On the (Im)Moral Character of Art Works and Inter-Relations to Artistic Value” [4]. Several philosophical visions have been historically elaborated on the value of an art work considered under its moral relevance [5, 6, 7]. In the contemporary society, the complexity of opposite concepts such as aestheticism, ethicism, anti-theoretical point of view, or moderate moralism/immoralism, does not allow binary radical conclusions. The article defines a “cognitive immoralism” which opens the way to subtle evaluation of the intricate artistic and moral values of a given art work. This is important as it helps reconsidering ethical and moral aspects of an artwork inside its specific social and historical context. It also introduces an aesthetic distance offering the possibility to appreciate artistic value independently from moral aspects, thus avoiding sometime very conservative or on the contrary radical transformative opinions. The aesthetic distance offers cathartic and sublimatory effects to any art experience, and its effectiveness is related to its artistic value. The moral value of an artwork has to be examined in its historical context—which is not the same as the contemporary one. Moral theories and systems are evaluative and specific to each culture. The artist is free to express his own subjective vision and philosophy.
This is precisely why experiencing art therapy is so powerful. As in art, all the human emotions—the most positive as well as the most negative—are welcome in the therapeutic process and contribute to deeper insight, better understanding, and cognitive gain.
4. Healing through arts and arts therapies
For a long time in the past centuries, a distinction has been established between the natural sciences based on explanation and the human sciences based on understanding. The scientific approach is evidence-based, requires experimentally validated proof, and focuses on objectivity. The creative thinking is metaphoric, rooted in our sensibility, and it is phenomenological, comprehensive, dynamic, and subjective. These two forms of our intelligence are complementary and need each other. Both are confronted with ethical questions. We need both scientific skills, inclusive philosophy of life and deep ethical reflexion.
Also, we know that even if we constantly extend our knowledge, we will always have to face the “next” mysterious phenomena. In this respect, art making and art therapy practice bring us closer to the unknown in a physically and emotionally safe way by preserving a part of the mystery which is the nuclear centre of ourselves. Many examples from practice with clients show arts therapies’ effectiveness—beyond any aesthetical criteria. Sometimes failure and error are starting points for a transformative pathway from art work to life philosophy. One day a client in art therapy initiated an art work using an “error”—the “bad end” of a photographic film. The theme of the workshop was to choose one photo from several shots taken by each participant and create an artwork starting from this point. This client choose a “bad” photo, pasted it on a big sheet of paper, and painted around it a colourful abstract painting inspired by the photo. The client told that this image was the most beautiful of all and mostly corresponding to his efforts to change and improve life. The given title was “The Beauty of the Error.” Due to copyright limitations, the client’s original art therapy work cannot be reproduced. An alternative image is presented in Figure 1 to demonstrate therapeutic steps during the art session. It shows a similar creative and transformative process starting from a failed photo, in search for meaning and finding a kind of beauty specifically in its ambiguity and imprecision.
“de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum” [1].
If everybody might agree—at least inside a tolerant and inclusive human society—that one’s preferences are subjective and thus should not be matter of judgement or discrimination, it appears as more difficult to find consensual definitions about aesthetics in a social context.
Philosophy has questioned the nature and relationships of beauty, aesthetics, and ethics since old times. Human communities have constantly used art modalities everywhere to regulate individual and social emotional life. Even the oldest human artefacts, though created in an utilitarian perspective, show aesthetic preoccupations—but why spend so much time and effort to make a tool beautiful and not just practical?
Recent research in neuroscience and neuroaesthetics describe the universal human thriving for creation and art as a response to the primary need of balance, harmony, and appeasement when facing life difficulties, pain, and distress.
2. The aesthetic brain
Many theories have been elaborated on the nature and function of the arts, on human creativity, and skills. Arts have accompanied pragmatic, philosophic, and religious thinking from the very beginnings of the human society, offering individual and community emotions’ regulation. Through current neuroscientific research, we learn more and more about our body and mind needs. A specific aesthetic thriving offers individual/inner and social/environmental regulation, harmony, and balance through the perception and creation of beauty. It appears that the aesthetic needs are as fundamental as the other human needs [2]. Our condition is not physically based. The aesthetic and cultural needs actually characterise our belonging to the species. The expressive arts’ languages are transversal and universal, as the human body and mind functioning is fundamentally similar all over the Earth. Satisfying the physiological basic needs offers survival—but an authentic belonging to the human condition implies an active participation in a social and cultural activity [3]. The concept of inclusivity means that every human, independent of age, race, gender, culture, in any physical and mental health conditions, is an actor in the World, together with all the other elements of the living and the non-living environment.
3. Art and ethics
If we can assume that art is acting through aesthetic elements—such as emotional impact and effectiveness created by art media, narratives, metaphores and symbols—what about the relationships between art and ethics? Does art imply moral and ethical aspects which would be a condition for artistic value? A thorough survey of contemporary philosophical reflection is presented in the article “Art, Morality and Ethics: On the (Im)Moral Character of Art Works and Inter-Relations to Artistic Value” [4]. Several philosophical visions have been historically elaborated on the value of an art work considered under its moral relevance [5, 6, 7]. In the contemporary society, the complexity of opposite concepts such as aestheticism, ethicism, anti-theoretical point of view, or moderate moralism/immoralism, does not allow binary radical conclusions. The article defines a “cognitive immoralism” which opens the way to subtle evaluation of the intricate artistic and moral values of a given art work. This is important as it helps reconsidering ethical and moral aspects of an artwork inside its specific social and historical context. It also introduces an aesthetic distance offering the possibility to appreciate artistic value independently from moral aspects, thus avoiding sometime very conservative or on the contrary radical transformative opinions. The aesthetic distance offers cathartic and sublimatory effects to any art experience, and its effectiveness is related to its artistic value. The moral value of an artwork has to be examined in its historical context—which is not the same as the contemporary one. Moral theories and systems are evaluative and specific to each culture. The artist is free to express his own subjective vision and philosophy.
This is precisely why experiencing art therapy is so powerful. As in art, all the human emotions—the most positive as well as the most negative—are welcome in the therapeutic process and contribute to deeper insight, better understanding, and cognitive gain.
4. Healing through arts and arts therapies
For a long time in the past centuries, a distinction has been established between the natural sciences based on explanation and the human sciences based on understanding. The scientific approach is evidence-based, requires experimentally validated proof, and focuses on objectivity. The creative thinking is metaphoric, rooted in our sensibility, and it is phenomenological, comprehensive, dynamic, and subjective. These two forms of our intelligence are complementary and need each other. Both are confronted with ethical questions. We need both scientific skills, inclusive philosophy of life and deep ethical reflexion.
Also, we know that even if we constantly extend our knowledge, we will always have to face the “next” mysterious phenomena. In this respect, art making and art therapy practice bring us closer to the unknown in a physically and emotionally safe way by preserving a part of the mystery which is the nuclear centre of ourselves. Many examples from practice with clients show arts therapies’ effectiveness—beyond any aesthetical criteria. Sometimes failure and error are starting points for a transformative pathway from art work to life philosophy. One day a client in art therapy initiated an art work using an “error”—the “bad end” of a photographic film. The theme of the workshop was to choose one photo from several shots taken by each participant and create an artwork starting from this point. This client choose a “bad” photo, pasted it on a big sheet of paper, and painted around it a colourful abstract painting inspired by the photo. The client told that this image was the most beautiful of all and mostly corresponding to his efforts to change and improve life. The given title was “The Beauty of the Error.” Due to copyright limitations, the client’s original art therapy work cannot be reproduced. An alternative image is presented in Figure 1 to demonstrate therapeutic steps during the art session. It shows a similar creative and transformative process starting from a failed photo, in search for meaning and finding a kind of beauty specifically in its ambiguity and imprecision.
Figure 1.
“The Veil” photography, Irina Katz-Mazilu, 2018.
“The Veil” photography, Irina Katz-Mazilu, 2018.
5. The ethical priority in art therapy
The criteria of value in the art therapy process are neither aesthetic nor moral but based on the authenticity of the client’s creative and verbal expression enhanced by the therapeutic space and time. The ethical reflection on the therapeutic relationship is a fundamental component of any professional strategy in art therapy. The principles of an ethical relationship between the art therapist and the client are defined by the Ethical Codes of many art therapy associations, as for instance the European Federation of Art Therapy/EFAT [8]. Its Ethics Committee leads a continuous reflection and organises working groups on ethical items.
But if the art therapist is also an artist, which would be the balance between the professional’s own subjectivity, art style, personal preferences and emotional aesthetic resonance with the client’s art, in the perspective of preserving the therapeutic goals? How to find the right distance when using creative empathy—yet preventing interference with the client on the creative level? The relationship between being an artist and being an art therapist is complex and needs clarification through personal therapeutic and creative process [9]. As seen in Figure 2, the creative response to the asked question shows a protective and careful supervision frame making possible deep unveiling insight in a soft and respectful way.
The criteria of value in the art therapy process are neither aesthetic nor moral but based on the authenticity of the client’s creative and verbal expression enhanced by the therapeutic space and time. The ethical reflection on the therapeutic relationship is a fundamental component of any professional strategy in art therapy. The principles of an ethical relationship between the art therapist and the client are defined by the Ethical Codes of many art therapy associations, as for instance the European Federation of Art Therapy/EFAT [8]. Its Ethics Committee leads a continuous reflection and organises working groups on ethical items.
But if the art therapist is also an artist, which would be the balance between the professional’s own subjectivity, art style, personal preferences and emotional aesthetic resonance with the client’s art, in the perspective of preserving the therapeutic goals? How to find the right distance when using creative empathy—yet preventing interference with the client on the creative level? The relationship between being an artist and being an art therapist is complex and needs clarification through personal therapeutic and creative process [9]. As seen in Figure 2, the creative response to the asked question shows a protective and careful supervision frame making possible deep unveiling insight in a soft and respectful way.
Figure 2.
“What is a Good Supervisor?”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024.
“What is a Good Supervisor?”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024.
6. Resonance and response art in art therapy
In this respect, there is a need to adapt the art therapist’s personal creative process to the therapeutical practice. Thus, a distinction occurs between the two professional identities of the practitioner. This is possible both through a personal reflexive art process and by participating in groups of creative supervision/intervision with peers. Response art is a major opportunity to intimately clarify the resonance between the art therapist’s reception of the client’s artwork and the therapeutical context [10, 11].
Figures 2 and 3 show examples of art work created by the author of this article in EFAT’s working groups as response art to questions related to the therapeutical practice. As seen in Figure 3, the process of mirroring which occurs between the art therapist and the client preserves the perceptive and emotional capability of the art therapist from potentially losing the therapeutic goals by being overwhelmed—or, on the contrary, being sometimes unable to resonate with the client’s art work. The art therapist is focused on the client’s needs even if his/her empathic subjectivity is present. A creative group workshop offering the possibility of reflexion and sharing is of great help. The importance of the creative supervision/intervision for art therapists is to be underlined [10, 11].
In this respect, there is a need to adapt the art therapist’s personal creative process to the therapeutical practice. Thus, a distinction occurs between the two professional identities of the practitioner. This is possible both through a personal reflexive art process and by participating in groups of creative supervision/intervision with peers. Response art is a major opportunity to intimately clarify the resonance between the art therapist’s reception of the client’s artwork and the therapeutical context [10, 11].
Figures 2 and 3 show examples of art work created by the author of this article in EFAT’s working groups as response art to questions related to the therapeutical practice. As seen in Figure 3, the process of mirroring which occurs between the art therapist and the client preserves the perceptive and emotional capability of the art therapist from potentially losing the therapeutic goals by being overwhelmed—or, on the contrary, being sometimes unable to resonate with the client’s art work. The art therapist is focused on the client’s needs even if his/her empathic subjectivity is present. A creative group workshop offering the possibility of reflexion and sharing is of great help. The importance of the creative supervision/intervision for art therapists is to be underlined [10, 11].
Figure 3.
“Building a Home Together”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024.
“Building a Home Together”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024.
7. Art therapy research is work in progress
Research on art therapies’ effectiveness brings every day proof of their utility and of growing interest in new methods of mental care in various fields. While previously their positive effects were noticeable mainly for the arts therapists themselves but less to other professionals, research developed through the last three decades. Quantitative research based on scientific criteria of validation currently completes qualitative research.
A survey of 27 publications between 2000 and 2017 explores art therapy results with various adult populations: cancer patients, clients facing a variety of medical conditions, mental health clients, clients coping with trauma, prison inmates, the elderly, and clients who have not been diagnosed with specific issues but face ongoing daily challenges [12]. A range of limitations are discussed, such as the difficulty to constitute control groups, for randomising, for completing meta-analysis. A major challenge is the number of studies realised by non-certified professionals, because the art therapy as a profession is still non-reglemented in most countries. These aspects impact the ethical criteria of practice and research in the field. Nevertheless the authors of the article are hopeful that current interest in art therapy and growing proof of its effectiveness will provide further opportunities for research and professional implementation. Another recent publication on art therapy in oncology presents a quantitative and qualitative study on the application of an art therapy protocol using validated tests for evaluation [13]. A particular care for ethical issues is showed in art therapy with children [11]. Informed consent and other contractual legal points are required for an ethical use of results in art therapy practice and research.
8. Conclusion
Art therapy contributes to deepen the knowledge about the individual and social mental health. The professionals are in search of a new paradigm by melting the natural and human sciences with the arts’ reflective thinking, while acknowledging the specificity and potential of different types of creativity. One of them is the empathic creativity, a fundamental principle in art therapy. Considered for a long time as a natural and simple process in the traditional human community, empathy appears as much more complex in the contemporary technological society as a consequence of more distant social relationships. Also new technologies such as digital tools, artificial intelligence, social media, have an impact on art as well as on the therapeutical practice. What about the aesthetic distance and its cognitive supporting and healing potential if contemporary technology in art jumbles the limits between reality and fiction as never before? This point will be a major item in future reflection on art and art therapy.
If art is not asked to respect moral criteria, it is nevertheless obvious that art education, cultural inclusiveness and open-mindness need to be promoted as ethical values. Moral criteria are relative and evolutive, but ethics are universal. Mutual respect and deep understanding of intricated world and life phenomena prevent radicality and splitting in interpersonal, social and environmental relationships, enhance social cohesion and guarantee our species’ survival.
As seen in Figure 4, art embodies the understanding of natural and cultural phenomena melted in their complex yet balanced dynamics. Thus, philosophical and ethical reflections are part of the art, and art therapy is part of human efforts to prevent and treat non-ethical destructive tendencies [12]. Contemporary research in arts therapies needs melting psychodynamic and cognitive approaches with recent neuroscientific discoveries and contemporary ethical challenges, as well as develop specific work tools based on art and creativity.
Research on art therapies’ effectiveness brings every day proof of their utility and of growing interest in new methods of mental care in various fields. While previously their positive effects were noticeable mainly for the arts therapists themselves but less to other professionals, research developed through the last three decades. Quantitative research based on scientific criteria of validation currently completes qualitative research.
A survey of 27 publications between 2000 and 2017 explores art therapy results with various adult populations: cancer patients, clients facing a variety of medical conditions, mental health clients, clients coping with trauma, prison inmates, the elderly, and clients who have not been diagnosed with specific issues but face ongoing daily challenges [12]. A range of limitations are discussed, such as the difficulty to constitute control groups, for randomising, for completing meta-analysis. A major challenge is the number of studies realised by non-certified professionals, because the art therapy as a profession is still non-reglemented in most countries. These aspects impact the ethical criteria of practice and research in the field. Nevertheless the authors of the article are hopeful that current interest in art therapy and growing proof of its effectiveness will provide further opportunities for research and professional implementation. Another recent publication on art therapy in oncology presents a quantitative and qualitative study on the application of an art therapy protocol using validated tests for evaluation [13]. A particular care for ethical issues is showed in art therapy with children [11]. Informed consent and other contractual legal points are required for an ethical use of results in art therapy practice and research.
8. Conclusion
Art therapy contributes to deepen the knowledge about the individual and social mental health. The professionals are in search of a new paradigm by melting the natural and human sciences with the arts’ reflective thinking, while acknowledging the specificity and potential of different types of creativity. One of them is the empathic creativity, a fundamental principle in art therapy. Considered for a long time as a natural and simple process in the traditional human community, empathy appears as much more complex in the contemporary technological society as a consequence of more distant social relationships. Also new technologies such as digital tools, artificial intelligence, social media, have an impact on art as well as on the therapeutical practice. What about the aesthetic distance and its cognitive supporting and healing potential if contemporary technology in art jumbles the limits between reality and fiction as never before? This point will be a major item in future reflection on art and art therapy.
If art is not asked to respect moral criteria, it is nevertheless obvious that art education, cultural inclusiveness and open-mindness need to be promoted as ethical values. Moral criteria are relative and evolutive, but ethics are universal. Mutual respect and deep understanding of intricated world and life phenomena prevent radicality and splitting in interpersonal, social and environmental relationships, enhance social cohesion and guarantee our species’ survival.
As seen in Figure 4, art embodies the understanding of natural and cultural phenomena melted in their complex yet balanced dynamics. Thus, philosophical and ethical reflections are part of the art, and art therapy is part of human efforts to prevent and treat non-ethical destructive tendencies [12]. Contemporary research in arts therapies needs melting psychodynamic and cognitive approaches with recent neuroscientific discoveries and contemporary ethical challenges, as well as develop specific work tools based on art and creativity.
Figure 4.
“Threads of Life”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024–2025.
“Threads of Life”—Irina Katz-Mazilu, mixed media, 2024–2025.
References
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- 13.Lelièvre M, Delpech L, Sudres J-L. “Sens et motions”: Apports d’un soin de support art-thérapeutique en oncologie. Une analyse mixte dans le cadre d’une étude exploratoire (“Senses and Motions”: Contribution of an Art-Therapeutic Support Treatment in Oncology. A Mixed Analysis in an Exploratory Study). Canadian Journal of Art Therapy;37(2):157-169. DOI: 10.1080/26907240.2024.2408853