Art as Prozac?

This just in, from the Guardian: Tim Lott, a columnist at the Evening Standard, thinks that "art nowadays seems to act 'as a kind of spiritual and even moral Prozac' and 'Prozac art is very well represented in the new Turner prize shortlist, which has a high self-cuddle factor.'"

This, in reference to the prestigious art competition held annually in Britain. Apparently they're also calling it "feel-good art." (What SSRI side effects accompany this art, do you think?)

Here is the Guardian's description of the winner of this year's prize. It is

"Deller's competition entry, which brought together brass bands, acid house music, a memorial to a north London cyclist killed by a reckless driver, and George Bush's favourite burger bar waitress. The only naked creatures were the 3m bats streaming from the mouth of a cave and spectacularly blackening the sunset sky as the climax of his video Memory Bucket."

Sounds like Prozac to me!

(Note to Eli Lilly: Heh! Nothing personal!)