Art is famously broad and abstract, and around the world, all cultures create art in many different forms. Art can be dances, such as the waltz or the Flamenco, or it may be poetry, paintings, drawings, sculpture, music, literature, and more. Today, many museums have collages, paintings, and sketches in particular, and many private collections put an emphasis on painting in particular. There is certainly no “best” type of art, but it can be said that paintings are a major part of art collections and galleries around the world today. Art design consultants, meanwhile, may be asked to choose art pieces to hang on the walls of public spaces and businesses. Art for senior care homes, art for hotel guests, art for healthcare facilities, and even art for the office can do a lot of good. Art is more than a pretty picture; actual health benefits have been linked to aesthetically pleasing art in many contexts, and hotel lobby design may include art to give the place a more homely look. Thus, hotel lobby design involves not just comfortable furniture but also attractive framed photos and paintings. This can make a substantial difference.
Art and Health
Most people greatly enjoy art of all sorts, but a person does not have to be an experienced collector or art critic to get some benefits from artwork. What exactly are these benefits? Just from viewing art, many people may experience a calming sensation, and studies have linked art viewing with lowered blood pressure, improved mood, and more. In particular, the University of London conducted a study in 2011 and found that blood flow increases 10% in the “joy response” part of the brain when a person sees beautiful art. This compares to how a person may feel when looking at a loved one, such as a spouse or their child. Meanwhile, art can lower stress levels, including on a hormonal level. Many study participants were asked to rate and describe their stress levels when they first entered a museum, then report on those levels again when they left about 35 minutes later. In many cases, these people reported lower stress levels, including a drop in cortisol levels, or the “stress hormone.”
Going to art museums and galleries can help a person feel calm and relaxed for some time afterwards, and art can be found in other arenas as well. Many businesses are aware that art can make any guest or employee feel more relaxed and at home, and thus art is used strategically all over the place. A library or doctor’s office is a good example of this, where framed photos and paintings on the wall may show pleasant and gentle images such as a sunrise, a beach, a sunny forest, flowers, and the like. Someone feeling anxious in a doctor’s waiting office may feel a little better when they view art like this. Hotel lobby design will do something similar, as hotels want to feel welcoming and home-like to all guests. To this end, hotel lobby design features not only plush carpeting and wallpaper and couches, but also classy framed art. The art pieces’ exact contents may vary based on the hotel’s region or the art consultant’s preferences, but the overall idea is the same: art makes guests feel welcome.
Mental health may also get a boost from art in the workplace. Managers are always looking for new ways to motivate employees and make them more productive, and of all things, art can play a role in this, too. Art is known to not only make a viewer feel relaxed and happy, but more creative, too. After all, art is creative by nature, and that may inspire a viewer. Here too, an art consultant may be hired, and this professional will procure art that may stimulate creativity among employees, such as painting prints and framed photos along the walls. Such art, along with potted plants and innovative arrangements of desks and tables, can make workers feel more productive and creative. This is a very real mental boost, no special training required. Art can be subtle but powerful at the same time in this way, and office art is a fine way to promote local painters and photographers who are looking for exposure.
