Art therapy hits the WEB: Internet app uses masterpieces to improve your mood Users select categories based on what they are worried about including politics, love and work They then choose the most relevant sentence that describes their worries Pieces of art have been handpicked to match each category selection The artwork, and the story behind each picture, is then described in detail These messages are designed to offer comfort to the concerns expressed Art therapy is a growing trend in which paintings, sculptures and other artwork is used to help deal with everyday stresses, and now people can seek help through a new web application. The Art as Therapy site has been created by Swiss author Alain De Botton and can be used on any browser. A user chooses a category that is worrying them, such as work, love or politics, and selects a sentence that best describes their anxieties in order to see a handpicked piece of artwork, designed to offer them comfort. A user can choose a category that is worrying them, on the Art as Therapy web app, pictured, such as work, love or politics, and select a sentence that best describes their anxieties. They are then shown a hand-picked piece of artwork, designed to offer them comfort Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses artwork as its 'primary mode of communication.' It is practised by qualified, registered Art Therapists. People who use art therapy have a range of difficulties including emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, brain-injury or neurological conditions and physical illness. Through creating art and reflecting on the messages in art, the therapists claim it can increase 'awareness of self and others' and be used 'to cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art.' Source: British Association of Art Therapists Each piece of art has been chosen based on the story behind the image, or the message it conveys. For example, if a user is worried about work and selects the 'I wish I could be more creative' statement, the app shows a self portrait of 19th Century Dutch painter Wouter van Troostwijk, painted in 1805. In the description, the app explains: 'Imagine your life is one in which you can be decently rewarded for being creative, for turning your inner life into money. 'That's what [van Troostwijk] did - and the idea has spread across the whole of society.' It continues: 'But there aren't many opportunities to do this in the world. A handful of notable artists (along with fashion models and rock stars) have glamourised a particular kind of career - in which one is paid well for essentially being oneself. This is extremely appealing, yet few people can access it. 'The painting should come with a warning: "You won't be like me." We owe ourselves a certain amount of sympathy, just for being caught in a dilemma not of our own making. We need portraits of accountants, tram-drivers and IT managers to bring out the quiet heroism of just getting by. When someone is worried about losing their temper too often with a loved one, for example, the app shows Rembrandt's The Jewish Bride, pictured. The painting expresses intimacy and tenderness. It explains that by remembering they love the person they are shouting at should help them calm down Other categories include art as a cure for work, self, love, anxiety, free time and politics. The application has been created to promote De Botton's book, Art as Therapy, and in explaining the concept the author claims: 'This is a tool to put you in contact with particular works of art that are helpful to look at when facing certain problems. We believe the point of art in general is to offer therapeutic assistance; it should help us to better endure and enjoy our lives. The book has been written with British philosopher and art historian John Armstrong. They propose that the 'squeamish belief that art should be 'for art's sake' has unnecessarily held back art from revealing its latent therapeutic potential.'