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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Katy Hessel

Shot through the heart: when it comes to expressing love, only art can do it justice

Love hurts … The Wounded Deer by Frida Kahlo.
Love hurts … The Wounded Deer by Frida Kahlo. Photograph: Album/Alamy

Love is the greatest force on this planet. So why, in the 21st century, do we not view it as an intellectual subject? Why is this emotion that connects us all not studied at school, or university?

When it comes to the English language, we only have one word for love. (In Arabic, there are 11.) How can we possibly be expected to understand it, analyse it and articulate it? The answer, of course, is through art.

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