Reflection+1

Tyler Stauffer Reflection #1 9/9/09

In the realm of art, many of us, teachers, students, parents, and all alike, view art as lines on a piece of paper, splotches of paint on a canvas, a figure sculpted out of clay, etc. However, when it comes down to the bear essentials, the beginnings of art, it is much more than that. Art on the other hand, is an understanding, and interpretation, a developmental skill, a growth of life. ­ As stated in __Children and their Art__, art is a multi disciplinary education. Art studies history, mathematics, music, poetry, folk art, etc. There are four disciplines of art that reflect many other areas of study such influences as, social, political, psychological, and economical, etc. These four areas, art production, art criticism, art history, and aesthetic, all find themselves in their own areas of study and with an array of careers as well as shown on pg. 6. Once the material continues, we get into sections on the findings of brain functioning, such as IQ, brain sensitivity, emotions, experimental changes, etc. These aspects of the brain and the affect on art are also related in the side book, __Experience and Art.__ Lastly, the book in the first 3 chapters, gives a sense of the changes in education, the role of art, and the stages of development depending on grade level, age, ability, living conditions, personal relations, etc. These topics are further discussed in Experience and Art, giving a deeper look into the developmental stages of the brain with art, and the reasoning for placements of objects, their shape, relativity in size, etc. The first chapter is a concentration on ages, 1 ½-11. The wide gap however shows a progression in the understanding of symbols, configurations, color, size, scale, etc. As children develop their understanding of art develops as well. A 1-½ year old may be scribbling on a page with dots, zigzags, etc, without and understanding of the ideas of movement, continuity, direction, etc. As their ages progress, the book noted that children start to experiment with repetition and variation of lines, shapes, location, and color, its experimentation, but a representation of the visual-motor skills, and graphic concepts. As the graphic concepts and understanding of symbols increases, children start to divulge their lives on to paper for the world to see. Their drawings consisting greatly of experiences that have influenced them in one way or another, their minds like sponges, remembering everything and like a journalist, writing it all down just as fast. As these stages progress, their objects start to turn into metaphors, abstract concepts, typically starting in the age group of 9-11, the years starting adolescent, wanting for individuality, self expression, and personal “space”. These ideas are reflective in their work, but are all developmental skills taking place from the final stages of shading, texture, and pattern to the beginning steps of, repetition and shapes, and relativity. It may seem like a short period of time, but within these years from ages 2-11, important developmental skill, images, perspective, and symbolism take place.