An Autobiographical Narrative Inquiry of Emotional Communication Experiences through Metaphorical Landscape as an Expression of Inner Imagery

This study analyzes the experience and meaning of emotional communication through metaphorical landscape work as an expression of inner images through autobiographical narrative inquiry. I’m PhD candidate in art therapy, and majored in painting at university and graduate school. The subject of my work was a landscape of human inner and emotions, which was named 'a metaphorical landscape', and was described and organized in detail through a master's thesis. In my master's thesis, which I looked into at after completing my doctoral course and preparing to work in parallel with art therapy again, I came to recognize the change in perspective and position of an artist dealing with emotions. In order to reveal the experience of metaphorical landscape work and grasp its meaning, three themes were derived: 'artist who brings out emotions', 'artist standing side by side with emotions', and 'artist who crosses emotions'. By analyzing the experience of metaphorical expression of self-image through art, this study attempted to raise fundamental questions about the expressiveness of art and its function as a place of empathy and communication.