What is the act of artistic creation?

The clinical dimension of painting and literature

Abstract

This article presents and discusses the principle concepts and problems that Gilles Deleuze –often accompanied by Felix Guattari– developed in relation to the subject of art. Deleuze’s philosophy has substantially problematized the field of aesthetics; that is, sensibility, especially in relation to painting, writing, music and film. We limit our exploration to the fields of painting and literature, pondering the question of the act of artistic creation while also delving into the clinical or therapeutic aspects of such artistic production. The essay reflects on how literature and painting may be construed as constituting a ‘health’ and on their relation to madness, body and life. Based on Deleuze-Guattari’s thought, our aim is to discuss the role and purpose of art in the specificity of contemporary capitalist society, its relationship with the production of subjectivity and the possibility of creating a ‘new health’.