'Knowing I was able to draw made me realise I was going to be OK': How art aided Andrew Marr's recovery
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| Marr's drawing after he suffered a stroke 'Leaning to walk' (2013) dailymail.co.uk |
I read Andrew
Marr's article on the Daily Mail website about his experiences with art making
after suffering a near death stroke. His speaks of his experience with mark
making and how this helped his recovery, which I found very inspiring. It
gave me a sense of hopefulness in art as therapy in a very real situation. As
I’ve only begun one of my placement days I am yet to experience my own
therapeutic experiences therefore I am relying on the experiences of others at
this moment.
I have chosen
this particular image from the article as it shows his innate vulnerability as
he makes his recovery. The marks show instability, exposing him as he re learns
to walk. I notice how the legs that we rely on to be stable and strong are
shown here by Marr to be small and thin in comparison to the rest of the body.
The figure in red, said to represent Marr looks top heavy, looking like it
cannot physically stand no matter how hard it tries. The figure appears to be held
by the bodiless hand from the left hand side of the image, I notice the hand
looks unrealistically large for the red figure. The hand, which I assume is
guiding Marr, too looks unstable and weak, unable to stabalise the damaged
figure. This is heightened by Marr (2013) ‘I felt very vulnerable and quite
scared. Drawing my vulnerability helped… I’m the object in red, at the centre…
wobbling’.
Reading about
Marr’s recovery from a stroke inspires me as a trainee art therapist that I can
make a difference and that art can be such a powerful source.
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