Abstract
This research addresses the work of art as a testimony, in the light of speeches and writings of the artist Nazareth Pacheco. The testimony deals with the biographical issue and gives voice to those who have something to say based on their life experience. Opening ourselves to the senses, which are expressed beyond verbal communication in artistic creation, imprint relevance to the present writing in the field of psychology, by seeking to show that expression through the visual arts, in addition to assume therapeutic contours, it allows us to reconstruct the content experience with the potential to challenge beliefs and values. The collected material consisted interviews and the master’s thesis of the artist, all submitted to thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: confrontation, ideal of beauty, literality, and transcendence. It is concluded that, if giving voice to suffering implies elaborating the lived experience, artistic expression may represent an important therapeutic strategy in the field of psychology.
Keywords
Art-testimony; Nazareth Pacheco; Suffering; Elaboration; Therapy