I really used to like going to the WAG's through the eyes of a child exhibit. The young kid's would have all these expressive and colorful, unrestricted drawings.
There's a moment when a child stops drawing like a child, and starts trying to represent the world using age-old conventions. It's a total loss of innocence.
At this wag show(which is coming up I think, or might even be on right now), you could really see the transition, they'd group all the art according to age group. I really prefered the 6-7 year old artists work to the 11-12 year olds. RThere's expression there that only little kids know how to do.
And to Cara,
I think we're all artists/musicians/poets, that stuff is instinctual. Human expression, or even animal expression is instinctual. Some choose not to express themselves.
Knocking stones together to a beat, scrawling on a cave wall, a ryhme here, some meter there, humming a tune, baking a cake.....
I think the tone deafness you speak of is due to people forgetting their sense of play. kid's are encouraged to play. adults are encouraged to work. there's more there...anyone got some...?
Let me tell you, all the kids I teach are natural artists. Every one of them. Sometimes, on occasion, one will say "I can't draw", but when I say "sure you can, try..." they smile, and take to it effortlessly, like by 'can't' they meant "am not allowed to". Most definately, they are not allowed to in most classes, but I always encourage it. It reminds me of my own upbringing of course. I always got in trouble at school for drawing. Can you imagine?! You wouldn't get yelled at for doing math, or writing essays I bet. Anyhow, drawing is definately our first language, the youngest kids sometimes get wild and wrestless, but all I have to do is break out some crayons and paper and they quiet down into a soft state of peacefull creation.
As far as older artists experiencing a loss of innocence, I'm not sure I agree. I like to think of it as a re-organization of our innocence. It's the ones who quit drawing who are experiencing the real loss. Drawing is one of (maybe only second to rock banging as James mentioned)characteristically human (unlike animal communication of posture, body language, and rudimentary sounds) forms of communication, and is thousands of years old. I think it is instinctual.
I agree with the notion of expression as instinctual and therefore art as instinctual, actually find that encouraging.
Ever heard of the theory of "multiple intelligences", connected to cognitive psych-it is part of the ongoing attempt in education to acknowledge the worth of all students in classrooms/schools etc. and to meet the needs of different types of learners.
Categories, like spatial, mathmatical-logical, verbal/linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic,interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical.
Education has only typically valued mathematical and verbal linguistic. Schools are part of what I think takes the "sense of play" out of adults, and that whole "loss of innocence",although that may be developmental too, I don't know. Dave you made reference to getting in trouble in school for drawing, and interestingly they find that some people learn better when they doodle/draw, it actually helps them focus.
Anyways, I think it is sad that our culture devalues art, and also negates the power of creative play to keep people happy and healthy.
I think what the label does and what this blog does is part of a great reaction/resistance to the notion that art isn't important or accesable to everyone, at least with respect to providing a mode of self expression and creating beauty.
But I wonder- in light of the Dave and James' comments, I get the impression that there are two contexts of ART, one for creative play but also one that is serious and that takes work, and "refinement".
But I guess art can take many forms....so maybe the above comment is off? I don't know.,
And you're right, we measure student success in schools by how well they fit in, not necessarily by what the student actually learns, creates, explores and enjoys. Schools need to meet the needs of students, not vice versa.
That being said, the whole mulitple intelligence model is also based on the principle that we can expand on and strengthen all of our intelligences, that we should stretch ourselves a bit, while some people will naturally excel and/or gravitate to some areas. It is all about balance.
I'm a big fan of the Montessori method -hands on, developmentally appropriate, and self directed learning, but lots of choices and opportunity to explore/discover.
I think it's positive. Acknowledging the different forms of culture and intelligence has to be a step towards unity. Still as far as chronology goes, I think we are now in the post-post modern stage. That may mean such a huge amount of information, and difference is becoming an unitelligable buzz, a defening meaningless silence, that rings in your ears. A low drone.
Honestly though we need a new name for our era. "Post-Post modernism" is kind of representative of the challenges we face, but where will it end (and how un-creative can we get) ?!
... post, post, post...Radar detector, detector, detector ...
With all our creative forces (artists) on board, maybe this could be the begining -the key to unlocking new meaning. I had a teacher once, who said if you don't know where to start (refering to painting), just pick a place and go! Arbitrary is better than apathy.
Harold Rosenburg burped up a comment about the development of self being paramount in the creation of art. In one of my attempets at paraphrase, below might be an idea...
The ideal picture of the future is clear; the development of others as the motive of all work.
Could 'play' also be development of the self. possibly as a relaxation technique or meditation?
I can hear the drone now....all the ants humming together in unison, harmonising in a two note fashion...0...1...0...1...0...the binary drone of the 21st century.
But what is that doom really? Isn't it just change and the acceptance that it is all/we are all temporal (sp?).
Don't take this for shirking my social/environmental responsibility and that leads me to really buying into what James was saying, a shift from intense individualism, fragmentation,and relativity to a balance of individual effort, community and connection.
Oh, and yes, the ghost dance too, sometimes it is all that you can do.
I'm suddenly reminded of a line from Carlos' poem "Never Quit"(this is your gift) where he discusses the push towards growth and change that we must all succumb, suchlike deniable prehension. burp.
A Love for Art was a collaborative blog for visual artists, musicians, writers, and social scientists. This blog has evolved into a new blog called BETA, go check it out!
16 comments:
Gorgeous. Vibrant. That strip of dark red on the left really makes it pop off the page, huh?
Magnificent!
What a great gift.
Do you think we all start off as artists? Is it perhaps the "low drone" (CQ)that renders most adults artistically tone deaf?
I really used to like going to the WAG's through the eyes of a child exhibit. The young kid's would have all these expressive and colorful, unrestricted drawings.
There's a moment when a child stops drawing like a child, and starts trying to represent the world using age-old conventions. It's a total loss of innocence.
At this wag show(which is coming up I think, or might even be on right now), you could really see the transition, they'd group all the art according to age group. I really prefered the 6-7 year old artists work to the 11-12 year olds. RThere's expression there that only little kids know how to do.
And to Cara,
I think we're all artists/musicians/poets, that stuff is instinctual. Human expression, or even animal expression is instinctual. Some choose not to express themselves.
Knocking stones together to a beat, scrawling on a cave wall, a ryhme here, some meter there, humming a tune, baking a cake.....
I think the tone deafness you speak of is due to people forgetting their sense of play. kid's are encouraged to play. adults are encouraged to work. there's more there...anyone got some...?
Let me tell you, all the kids I teach are natural artists. Every one of them. Sometimes, on occasion, one will say "I can't draw", but when I say "sure you can, try..." they smile, and take to it effortlessly, like by 'can't' they meant "am not allowed to". Most definately, they are not allowed to in most classes, but I always encourage it. It reminds me of my own upbringing of course. I always got in trouble at school for drawing. Can you imagine?! You wouldn't get yelled at for doing math, or writing essays I bet. Anyhow, drawing is definately our first language, the youngest kids sometimes get wild and wrestless, but all I have to do is break out some crayons and paper and they quiet down into a soft state of peacefull creation.
As far as older artists experiencing a loss of innocence, I'm not sure I agree. I like to think of it as a re-organization of our innocence. It's the ones who quit drawing who are experiencing the real loss. Drawing is one of (maybe only second to rock banging as James mentioned)characteristically human (unlike animal communication of posture, body language, and rudimentary sounds) forms of communication, and is thousands of years old. I think it is instinctual.
I agree with the notion of expression as instinctual and therefore art as instinctual, actually find that encouraging.
Ever heard of the theory of "multiple intelligences", connected to cognitive psych-it is part of the ongoing attempt in education to acknowledge the worth of all students in classrooms/schools etc. and to meet the needs of different types of learners.
Categories, like spatial, mathmatical-logical, verbal/linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic,interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical.
Education has only typically valued mathematical and verbal linguistic. Schools are part of what I think takes the "sense of play" out of adults, and that whole "loss of innocence",although that may be developmental too, I don't know. Dave you made reference to getting in trouble in school for drawing, and interestingly they find that some people learn better when they doodle/draw, it actually helps them focus.
Anyways, I think it is sad that our culture devalues art, and also negates the power of creative play to keep people happy and healthy.
I think what the label does and what this blog does is part of a great reaction/resistance to the notion that art isn't important or accesable to everyone, at least with respect to providing a mode of self expression and creating beauty.
But I wonder- in light of the Dave and James' comments, I get the impression that there are two contexts of ART, one for creative play but also one that is serious and that takes work, and "refinement".
But I guess art can take many forms....so maybe the above comment is off? I don't know.,
I'm glad my Long winded comment made some sense.
And you're right, we measure student success in schools by how well they fit in, not necessarily by what the student actually learns, creates, explores and enjoys. Schools need to meet the needs of students, not vice versa.
That being said, the whole mulitple intelligence model is also based on the principle that we can expand on and strengthen all of our intelligences, that we should stretch ourselves a bit, while some people will naturally excel and/or gravitate to some areas. It is all about balance.
I'm a big fan of the Montessori method -hands on, developmentally appropriate, and self directed learning, but lots of choices and opportunity to explore/discover.
multiple intelligence = post modernism
Hmmm...so is that positive or negative in you opinion? I have mixed feelings about post modernism, myself.
I think it's positive. Acknowledging the different forms of culture and intelligence has to be a step towards unity. Still as far as chronology goes, I think we are now in the post-post modern stage. That may mean such a huge amount of information, and difference is becoming an unitelligable buzz, a defening meaningless silence, that rings in your ears. A low drone.
NICE,
and we come back to the low drone don't we.
So, the challenge of post-post modern period is now to decipher the low drone I guess. Where to begin.
And I think ironic self awareness is timeless.
Honestly though we need a new name for our era. "Post-Post modernism" is kind of representative of the challenges we face, but where will it end (and how un-creative can we get) ?!
... post, post, post...Radar detector, detector, detector ...
With all our creative forces (artists) on board, maybe this could be the begining -the key to unlocking new meaning. I had a teacher once, who said if you don't know where to start (refering to painting), just pick a place and go! Arbitrary is better than apathy.
Any ideas?
Harold Rosenburg burped up a comment about the development of self being paramount in the creation of art. In one of my attempets at paraphrase, below might be an idea...
The ideal picture of the future is clear; the development of others as the motive of all work.
Could 'play' also be development of the self. possibly as a relaxation technique or meditation?
I can hear the drone now....all the ants humming together in unison, harmonising in a two note fashion...0...1...0...1...0...the binary drone of the 21st century.
I think just a bit grim and limiting
:)
But what is that doom really? Isn't it just change and the acceptance that it is all/we are all temporal (sp?).
Don't take this for shirking my social/environmental responsibility and that leads me to really buying into what James was saying, a shift from intense individualism, fragmentation,and relativity to a balance of individual effort, community and connection.
Oh, and yes, the ghost dance too, sometimes it is all that you can do.
Cara
I like it.
:)
I'm suddenly reminded of a line from Carlos' poem "Never Quit"(this is your gift) where he discusses the push towards growth and change that we must all succumb, suchlike deniable prehension. burp.
Hmmm. I dunno, this is harder than I thought it would be.
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