People have always decorated their homes with art. From cave paintings to wall carvings- art has always manifested himself as a rather peculiar object in a home. The mirror. Art is the broken mirror in the time capsule that you buried when you were seven. Art is the pocket mirror with fake gems embedded that you bought at a bargain. Art is the hundreds of tiny mirrors in a chandelier that distort your face and reflect sunlight on a winter morning.
In Vincent Van Gogh’s 1890 painting Thatched Cottages at Cordeville, he painted houses on a street deforming. The iconic and magnificent painting bears a deeper meaning of his inner expression since he ended up taking his life a few months after making it. So, what is the intersection point of paint brushes and the human subconscious? How is our psychology and our perception of life even related to how we draw something as basic as a home?
The HTP (House-Tree-Person) test is a psychological personality test that gives insight into an individual’s view of life on the basis of their drawings. Art and psychology have always walked hand-in-hand. Even when kids who have battled trauma are confronted by clinical therapists, they are told to draw their feelings. A perfect example of this is the viral 1948 photo of a little girl who grew up in a warzone and was told to draw ‘home’. She drew chaotic lines and circles because that is how she perceived the world around herself from a very young age-chaotic.
I sent across a message for the Chronicle’s team to send in drawings of a home instinctively. They were requested to be as vulnerable as possible while doing the same. The following are few examples and their respective analysis:
(Jinali)
The clarity of the home depicts harmony and great team working skills. The presence of a large roof represents the individual as highly involved in fantasy stories. The open windows and door showcase the individual’s ability to be open. Non-repetitive lines show the individual’s confidence in their decision-making abilities. The freely drawn lines with lack of pressure emphasize the fact that the individual looks at the big picture rather than paying attention to small details. The individual’s attempt of making the drawing very dimensional throws light on their high self-esteem. It also reiterates that they are extremely confident.
(Juhi)
Multiple open windows represent the individual’s ability to quickly connect with people. The clear and distinctive lines emphasize on the individual’s flexibility when it comes to social settings. The large roof implies their emotional attachment with fantasy worlds. The fact that the roof has a window implies that they view the world from a fantasy lens. The open windows and doors are an expression of the individual’s ability to be able to bond with new people rather quickly. Multiple large doors further paint the individual as someone who easily trusts and depends upon others. The overlapping lines highlight the fact that they are rather critical of themselves and may have out of control perfectionism.
(Namit)
The presence of a chimney implies that the individual is tolerant and accepting of new people. The smoke sketches their warmth during social interactions. A rather big roof and the presence of a window on the roof portrays their keen interest in fantasy worlds which reflects on their view of real life as well. The barred windows showcase their lack of openness when it comes to new relationships. A small door implies the fact that they are independent and have issues depending upon others. A lack of dimension in drawing implies that they tend to doubt their abilities rather easily. Firm strokes of the pen represent their determination and hard-work.
Our minds control our bodies. They control whether we speak, whether we move, whether we talk. However, it is not discussed often that our minds control the way we express ourselves as well. The words we choose to write, the songs we choose to sing and the lines we choose to draw. We leave pieces of ourselves wherever we go, even if it is in ways that we are not aware of.
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