The Symbolism of Style: Art as Therapy

Rita Simon, a founder member of the art therapy profession, has been developing her understanding of the complex interplay between content and style in patints' work for over 40 years. In "The Symbolism of Style" she puts forward the thesis that, while a picture can speak through both its content and its style, it is the style which reflects the habitual mood or attitude of the unconscious. By looking at the progression of styles in children's work, it is possible to see the developmental stages to which at times it may be helpful for an adult temporarily to return. In the early stages of therapy, a patient's style can help the art therapist understand his or her underlying mood, and, later, a consistent change in style can indicate a radical change in the patient's grasp of reality. The therapist's understanding of the hidden meaning in the style can thus greatly enrich the therapeutic process and very often improve its outcome. From her long study of clinical material the author has developed a simple classification of the four basic styles, and their transitional stages, which recur in patient's work. This book should be of interest to art therapists.