FOR WHAT PURPOSE OR WHY ACQUIRE A WORK OF ART ?
« Art is as vital as the oxygen we breathe ».
Pierre Lemarquis, neurologist, neurophysiologist and neuro-pharmacologist
Why buy a work of art ?
Each one of us has an answer that is more or less personal according to our motivations: love of art or an artist, the desire for embellishing our living or working areas, building up and art collection, tax optimization, for example.
Isn’t the real question rather why do we buy a work of art ?
Let us question what happens when we look at a work of art.
Intuitively, without always paying attention, we have all one day or another felt an indescribable emotion in front of a work of art. This may happen when taking in that moment captured by a photograph, the subtle curves of a sculpture or the enigmatic colours of a painting which has resonated inside us according to our sensitivity, or sometimes even in relation to our own experience.
Art is an experience which acts at several levels
At a neurological level: art triggers happiness hormones !
We now know, thanks in particular to the research of Semir Zeki, neurobiology professor at University College London and neurologist French Jean-Pierre Changeux, that an artistic experience generate simultaneous activation of two distinct areas in the brain: the limbic system (dealing with emotion) and the frontal cortex (dealing with reason).
What is called happiness hormones are then produced in a balanced way: dopamine (vital momentum), serotonin (mood regulation) and oxytocin (love and attachment). The inter-connected areas dealing with reward which are located in the brainstem are thus activated. Their role is to reward behaviour through a pleasant feeling which makes us repeat the gratifying action and gives us a positive drive.
Moreover, according to Pierre Lemarquis, French neurologist and specialist of the effects of art on the brain, if we enjoy a piece of art, it activates neurons mirrors which are empathy neurons. We then truly experience the emotions that the work conveys.
At the psychological level: art strengthens self-confidence
The fact of contemplating a work, of finding it beautiful, faces the truth with ourselves. Released from external injunction, without moral or rational conflict, we experience an internal adjustment which leads up to intimate harmony that feels good and soothes.
The philosopher Charles Pépin adds that “the aesthetic experience makes us connect with a form of intuition that comes from within and is independent of opinions and thoughts. Aesthetic emotion is not a luxury only for cultivated people but rather a means that is accessible to all to live more intensely”.
This experience is where feeling, resonance and reflection all assemble and this results in a profound sense of existence. Coupled with the sense of satisfaction and wonder experienced before artwork, this feeling of existence inevitably influences a healthy feeling of self-confidence.
At the philosophical level: art reconnects us with others
The feeling of transcendence when looking at what is immense or superb activates driving forces in our brain. As is makes us feel small in front of what is immense, it also opens us to the world, pulling us out from ourselves to reconnect with others.
“Beauty is a way through which creation tells us that life has meaning”
François Cheng, writer, poet and Chinese calligrapher
The perceptive, driving and emotional experience that we have when we observe a work of art directly results in real, proven and physical wellbeing, a psychological reconnexion with ourselves, an opening up to others as well as an elevation of the soul towards meaningfulness.
These were still unknown benefits a few years ago that living in contact with works of art has a direct effect on health, motivation and social communication.
To create an atmosphere of wellbeing and to strengthen the identity of a home or of company offices, do not hesitate to contact us to accompany you with your acquisition.