The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.

: 1848-1954), Saturday 2 November 1946, page 10, 11

Art Therapy Can Help

The Sick
A Few Pencil Strokes, a Touch of Colour
On a Canvas, These Have Brought a New
Interest to Those Fighting Back to Health

By CHARLES HAMBLETT

ART THERAPIST FIXES PRINT IN FRAME. PATIENTS LIKE CHANGES.

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22383620

OIL PAINTING BY DOCTOR-PATIENT, WHO BEGAN AS RAW NOVICE.
 "WORK" RECEIVED PRAISE IN INTER-SANATORIUM COMPETITION.

«N ARTIST LAY ILL in

patients. But conservative
medical opinion disapproved .of
M\ hospital. Day after day
anything so unorthodox.
..he gazed at a pot of Illnesses which require long
flowering cyclamen, sent to
term convalescence, in particu-
him by a former pupil. He
lar tuberculosis, are frequently
was too
weak to move, but his
resolve to make accompanied by feelings of
a drawing of
morbidity. This is understand-
the single dark purple flower able, since human nature in-
was the first unconscious step
evitably* revolts against
towards art therapy, a way of pro-
art. longed inactivity.
healing through Today
the artist, Adrian Hill, con- A DRIAN HILL decided to be
fesses that he has become ob- "
guile his illness with drawing
sessed with this subject. He and pa nting. His first attempt
hopes to see art therapy estab- to paint the cyclamen did not
lished in hospitals and sana- materialise, but several months
toria throughout öreat later, when he had been re-
Britain. moved to a sanatorium, he
Art therapy is a matter of in- began to draw whatever objects
teresting a patient in the prob- came to hand -

books, flowers,
lems and pleasures of art, not fruit, sweets, newspapers, bis-
only to alleviate the dullness cuits, and ink bottles,, all pro-
of a long illness, but to foster vided material for His brush
a lasting appreciation for art and pencil. Time passed
when the patient is restored swiftly, and the entrance of his
to health. Adrian Hill's idea tea tray, once an important
is a simple one. He likes to event of the
day, became an
tell you that 90 years ago Flor- unwelcome interruption. The
ence Nightingale was groping professional artist had returned
towards idea of
some art to his craft, while the bored
therapy. In 1860 she wrote: "The
effect in sickness of beautiful
Objects and.
especially of
. .
patient was rapidly becoming
a back number.
brilliancy of colours, is
hardly
at all appreciated variety . . .
Nothing perhaps would have
of form and brilliancy of colour come of it if Adrian Hill had
in the objects presented to not decided that, since art had
patients is an actual means to helped him to regain his
recovery." She even recom-
health, why not apply this to
mended others? He tackled the prob-
showing engravings to
patients. But lem with the thoroughness of
conservative
 with the thoroughness of the former germ can help enor-
a true missionary. He sin- in latter
mously banishing the
cerely believes that a natural bug." (The patients' interest
feeling for art lies in all of us, quickens.) "And this is not
only waiting for the right soft quack medicine," he continues.
of encouragement to be fully "It is not a stunt. It is just
developed. As an "out- common sense. We are all

patient" he returned to the best employed when we are at-

sanatorium, and when occupa- tempting to create some-
tional therapy was introduced thing."
there, he was invited to give After experience with
some
instruction in drawing and patients at. Midhurst, Adrian
painting to patients to whom Hill began to plan on a wider
other crafts made no appeal.
1

HE tcale. He publicised art ther-

np SUPERINTENDENT of
*?
apy in
articles, in letters to the
the King Edward VII Sana- '

press, and in a book, Art Versus

torium, Midhurst, Sussex, was
Illness. The British Red Cross
the first doctor to
give his
blessing to the scheme.
Society helped him, a picture
The
library was to visit in-
formed
chief advantage to art therapy
stitutions at monthly intervals
is the length of convalescence. .

to change pictures in the

Few cases are discharged under
wards. Teams "of speakers
three months, many stay much
and instructors were sent out.
longer, so a really comprehen-
sive of study can Adrian Hill believes that cer-
course be un-
dertaken. Out of a "floating tain forms of fanaticism are
if for
population" of 120 patients, at healthy, only breaking
least 20% are attracted by the new ground and cutting away
scheme. Adrian Hill visits dead wood, and forcing a ver-

them twice a week, devoting

dict. As he walks along the
to bed corridors of the sanatorium,
one day patients, the
other to lectures fpr ambulant, visiting "bedders," his lively
conversation overflows with
or "up" patients.
ideas. A doctor friend at Mid-
When "canvassing" for
hurst is also an artist, but this
patients, Adrian Hill stresses
does not satisfy Mr. Hill. "All
that art therapy is not like the
doctors should have art train-
dull classes of the schoolroom.
ing," he declares. "It makes
"When books bore," he says,
"when them more sympathetic."
games begin to grate, who with
Patients, began
drawing and painting come as
knew
protests that they
a boon and a blessing. They nothing about art, that mod-
engross you completely. The silly,
ern art was and, in any
art germ, when once it be-
case, they could not use paints
comes firmly planted in the
no matter how long they tried,
mind and heart, is far more
now write that their lives are
difficult to dislodge than
fuller; and, although it is com-
another germ with which you
mon for patients to lose inter-
are all more familiar. Indeed
est in painting when their
the former can enor-
 to
bring the pleasures of
health increases, others dis- paint-
ing and art appreciation
cover a talent which survives to a
new public.
a return to everyday exis-
tence.

More than one patient who

began with the plea: "But I
can't draw!" is now studying
at an art school, while others
have discovered hobby which
a
will give them pleasure all
their lives. They look at paint-
ings with a new interest; on
country walks they see nature
in a different way.

JN THE SURGICAL WARD,

1
where patients await opera-
tions, pictures in
are hung
special frames. The -frames can
take any prints on standard
size mounts, and prints are
changed weekly.
Patients react according to the
state of health. A wea:, patient
frequently objects to glaring
greens and yellows of a Van
Gogh, and takes kindly to the
subdued lighting of a Monet.
As health increases the
patient's interest
the Van in
Gogh may d his own
return, a^
.

"intings will renee, the vivid

(olours of impressionistic work.
The weather similarly affects a
patient's style, dull
days pro
'lucing monotonous greys,
bright days flamboyant greens
and reds.
Adrian Hill, the idealist, who
is
a practical man, visualises
far-reaching changes when art
centres will adopt
neighbour-
ing hospitals, and
every hospi-
tal will have a
regular art
therapist in attendance. Paint
''igs,
he hopes, will be changed
at regular
intervals like the
bed linen. Art in illness, as
well as in
health, will combine
to
DOCTOR, HIMSELF KEEN PAINTER, OFFERS ADVICE TO PATIENT AT KING EDWARD VII SANATORIUM.
 HILL, W J0 INTRODUCED ARI THERAPY TO SANATORIA, CHATS IN OF*-:F- «M,..
ADRIAN