We are often deeply moved by ruins. We respond to the crumbling wall of an old farmhouse, the rusting hull of a battleship, or the remains of a medieval abbey. These objects move us because they suggest the inevitable victory of time over human ambition. They humble us. They make our own worries seem smaller. They help us to accept decay and mortality as natural parts of life rather than as enemies to be resisted at all costs.
Art can perform a similar function. A painting of a wilting flower, a fading sunset, or an aging face can—if we let it—teach us to accept the inevitable with grace rather than rage. It can help us see that impermanence is not a flaw in existence but its very essence
Alain de Botton and John Armstrong, Art as Therapy
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