This weekend as I walked through our local library I saw many families and youth enjoying themselves and all that the library has to offer. It reminded me of the many weekly trips I made to the library’s youth and children’s room with my own children. After we read and played and gathered our materials from the children’s rooms, we would make a stop in the adult area in search of our next treasure; a book on a famous artist or art style. Each week we would choose one master artist and check out a book full of vivid images and amazing stories. Once at home, mom or dad had custody of the valuable and expensive book of prints, so when the time came to gather around and look at it, my children saw this experience as a privilege, and a time to enjoy the world of new images together.
Looking at different kinds of art is a tremendous way of expanding our children’s awareness. We all become comfortable with the kinds of images around us, but in our comfort we can miss opportunities to expand our vision. You do not have to understand every kind of art you look at, the key is to look with an open mind. Once you do this, you can gain understanding and interest in a variety of styles – even styles you may not have understood or appreciated before.
When you look at art and artists with your children, encourage non evaluative language. Talk about line and shapes and colors and how they relate to each other. Ask them how the image makes them feel, what do they see when they look at it and what stands out the most in the image for them. You will hear some very interesting comments and their exposure to different artists will stimulate their own creativity.
These are some artists to “check out”: Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso and Cassatt.
N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth represent three generations of artists. Consider, Homer, Titian , Michelangelo and especially Rembrandt.
