Knowing Imagination

Leonora Carrington. “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur.” 1953. Oil on canvas.

I’m always happy to see surrealist images pop up now and then on the web, like this one from MOMA. I’m happier still to read about how an individual uses art for their mental health. The take-away quote: “There are things that are not sayable. That’s why we have art”.

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From The Museum of Modern Art, N.Y., NY

As a Surrealist, #LeonoraCarrington’s works are fantastical and otherworldly, but more than that, they give us a window into her inner world.

On #WorldMentalHealthDay, engage in a guided visualization of Carrington’s “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur,” led by Jackie Armstrong on our Education team, for our Artful Practices for Well-Being audio playlist.

Visualization and mindfulness can be powerful tools for reducing anxiety, increasing awareness, and healing distress; the artist understood that mental wellbeing is inextricably linked to physical health, and that balance is important.

Throughout her life, Carrington struggled with her mental health, at one point being involuntarily committed to an asylum as grief over her lover Max Ernst’s internment at a prison camp caused a severe decline in both her mental and physical health.

Carrington was ultimately able to use her art to process and heal. As she writes in her memoir, “There are things that are not sayable. That’s why we have art.”

Start listening at the link in our bio. #ArtfulPracticesforWellbeing
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[Leonora Carrington. “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur.” 1953. Oil on canvas. © 2020 Leonora Carrington / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]