Art Bathing

My soul needed to be surrounded by beauty

Hello, Gorgeous!

Earlier this week I had an extremely stressful appointment. Instead of spending the morning fretting, I played hooky for a few hours at one of my favorite haunts, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Forest bathing’s lesser known cousin

To begin with, art bathing isn’t an actual thing. I just made it up. But it should be a thing.

Let’s discuss forest bathing first.

In the 1980s the Japanese created, or at least publized the concept of shinrin-yoku, or art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. In more recent years, forest bathing —spending time in nature to derive a healing effect— has become much more popular. Dr. Qing Li, a a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo is the world's foremost expert in forest medicine.

In his book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, Dr. Li said, that the benefit of being around trees is “simply being in nature, connecting with it through our sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch." It can also reduce your stress levels and blood pressure. I feel that way around great works of art.

Maybe it’s not the same thing, but when I did my version of my self declared art bathing by being surrounded by art, familiar and favorite paintings, and immersed in a temple of beauty, I felt a sense of peace I haven’t felt in a while. And instead of panicking about my appointment, I was able to simply enjoy a moment.

Incidentally, the image that I used above is a photo I took of a painting by Fench artist Frances Picabia. Clearly, it doesn’t do the original any justice, but it’s there for reference.

The painting is I See Again in Memory My Dear Udnie, which was painted in 1914. It’s a rolicking powerhouse painting with theoretically asynchronous color, texture, anagrams and Easter eggs. Picabia painted it to partially express the pulsating movement of NYC machinery as well as French dancer Stacia Napierkowska. There was something about the vibrant and unexpected color combinations, texture use and the sheer magnitude of the canvas that pulled me toward it from across a giant gallery.

I love art. And I’m so happy that I chose to indulge myself for a few hours. What could have been a crummy day, ended up being a personal adventure, and yeah, time spent art bathing.

Are you into forest bathing or some personal ritual that allows you to disconnect from the world and reconnect with yourself? Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋