Harnessing Fine Art as a Viable Mechanism for Economic and Health Enhancements in Nigeria

Abstract

The built environment is tamed with varying health and economic challenges that, if left unattended, could endanger lives and properties dwelling within it. However, the said challenges are all inevitable as a result of the ever-increasing global population and the dissimilar challenges that come with it. Consequently, there is a need to unearth more alternatives through which the wellness of lives in the built environment and the economy they depend on can be improved in order to inhibit the fast-rising deplorable health conditions that are threatening the built environment. Fine art in all its entirety goes beyond artworks being crafted primarily for visual appeal or creative expression; fine art, especially drawing and painting, is imbued with economic and health-enhancing feats. This study uncovers, through the use of interviews and the authors’ experiences and observations, how fine art facets (portrait drawing) and painting can positively improve a man’s psychological and mental wellness. The few selected interview respondents shared their various experiences culled from their individual interactions with the work of art. The paper recommended, among others, that portrait drawing and painting should be further patronized, practiced, and embraced as they have a way of enhancing psychological and mental wellness in the built environment with economic advantages. The study concludes that drawing fosters interpersonal relationships as well as cultural exchange. It recommends that drawing and painting be encouraged at early stages of education and adopted as part of the vocational skills for enhancing entrepreneurship studies.