Art Therapy: A New Experience of Painting with a Warrior during the War

At the current stage of the war, the acute phase of which has lasted for over 1,000 days, it has become evident to society that addressing the urgent issues of psychological support during times of social upheaval is essential. Specialized psychological assistance is particularly needed for soldiers who have participated directly in combat. These are individuals who have witnessed the horrors of war—wounds and death, the heroism of the strong, and the betrayal of the weak. One of the key strategies for psychosocial recovery has been art therapy, which has emerged in fundamentally new forms. A notable method within this approach involves collaborative drawing sessions between professional artists and wounded soldiers in hospitals. The application of art therapy in the development of rehabilitation programs has demonstrated its effectiveness in alleviating the emotional consequences faced by demobilized servicemen and those returning to active duty after recovery. It is evident that such support is also crucial for other affected groups: widows and parents of fallen heroes, internally displaced persons, civilians who lived under occupation and were forced to interact with the enemy, and those who survived bombardments and missile attacks. This article is not a medical study per se, nor does it lie within the boundaries of clinical medicine. Rather, it explores the interdisciplinary collaboration between professional artists, art critics, and cultural scholars with individuals undergoing psychotherapeutic treatment in a Ukrainian hospital. It focuses on the “Paint with a Warrior” program initiated by the Institute of Contemporary Art of Ukraine, where patients engage in professional-level art-making. The article addresses the theoretical foundations of this art therapy method as a form of mental trauma treatment and analyzes the eleventh artist-soldier meeting held at the Modern Art Research Institute, in which the author personally participated.