Tuesday, July 20, 2010

ABC Wednesday - A is For Art



This week at ABC Wednesday Round 7 begins! How exciting to begin a whole new round!.


I wanted to try something different this time. I had already begun an ABCs of Art for myself as a challenge, so have decided to combine the 2 challenges. I will restyle what I have already done and finish my challenge through ABC Wednesday.


Art is everywhere and in all we do. As the saying goes, "Art is in the eye of the beholder" .
Traditionally, the definition for art has been that it is form and content.
About .com describes form and content this way:

"Form means (1) the elements of art, (2) the principles of design and (3) the actual, physical materials that the artist has used. Form, in this context, is concrete and fairly easily described - no matter which piece of art is under scrutiny.

"Content" is idea-based and means (1) what the artist meant to portray, (2) what the artist actually did portray and (3) how we react, as individuals, to both the intended and actual messages.
Additionally, "content" includes ways in which a work was influenced - by religion, or politics, or society in general, or even the artist's use of hallucinogenic substances - at the time it was created. All of these factors, together, make up the "content" side of art."

Throughout history there have been so many styles and periods of art, and so many artists who have offered their own interpretations and unique styles.

Take a tour through any art museum and your senses will be touched in many different ways.You can even do it online! Here is the Met!

Each of us develops our own beliefs and feelings about art. I know that I cannot be without art in my life - whether it is listening to music, creating art or just seeing the beauty around me.
It has enriched my life in many ways.
I have been fortunate in that I get to work with young children who, for the most part, love to create. For them it is the process - they don't worry too much about the finished product. I really feel that creating art is necessary for everyone- especially children. Throughout the school year, in my classroom, we draw, paint, do collages, make masks, look at art and discuss the artwork, create sculptures with clay and papier-mache. I try to make it enjoyable and accessible for each child.
Here are a couple of examples from my students:



(We used the flowers of Georgia O'Keefe and Van Gogh as a starting point.)

One day I asked students to create a collage poster of what art meant to them. This was one boy's very perceptive work:



(at the bottom of his piece was a photo of a peacock)
 
 Be sure to visit the other great participants here.

22 comments:

Sylvia K said...

What a delightful post for the A day, Bev! I love Van Gogh and his paintings! He's just about my favorite artist. Fun things that you've done with the kids and a great introduction to the art world. Hope your week is going well! Enjoy!

Sylvia

lv2scpbk said...

Wonderful paintings. Happy ABC Wed. On behalf of the ABC Wed. team, thanks for participating.

Rune Eide said...

That was an interesting post. I can now see why critics never agree since they probably don't agree on the definitions of the three criteria.

Kristin said...

What a great post! You must be such an inspiration to them - and I love how you celebrate their work here! Thank you too for your sweet comments - they mean so much, Kristin xo

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Amen, I say to that! Art, that is! And your post!

photowannabe said...

Very clever. I would love to be in your class and learn art.

Roger Owen Green said...

Love O'Keefe and Van Gogh, not just as artists but their stories.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

signed...bkm said...

Very nice post and I love O'Keefe too - she was amazing....bkm

MorningAJ said...

What a great post. I enjoyed that a lot.

Gigi Ann said...

Nice post about Art. I am one of those people who has trouble drawing stick people. So enjoyed seeing the artwork.

Leslie: said...

LOVE THIS! I wish I still had some samples of my former students' work, but it's in my memory! I am glad that photography is considered an art form because that is what I enjoy now. :D

Leone said...

What a great post. As I have said before, your students are so lucky to have a teacher like you. Introducing them to art at such an early age will give them so much joy in their lives and having a teacher who enjoys art and makes it fun will benefit them all their lives.

Tumblewords: said...

I can think of few things more fun than art with kids. Those I hang out with are delightfully creative and giggly about the entire process. Great, great A post!

K(Banterings of a Basketcase) said...

one of my favorite things to do is art in the classroom. The ones the kids really dig is to create a warhol with their own black and white photo and flourescent markers.

Wanda said...

Love your children's art. They are so good.

What would the world be without the lovey creations the children do.

Jama said...

Beautiful pieces of art work!

Unknown said...

Dear Beverley,

Thank you for visiting my A-post! Yes it is wonderful to have apple trees in our garden! I was lucky that there were some green apples on this particular tree, as our other tree only had one single, lone apple!

Winter is long here and many solutions to this alphabet-challenge become a little far-fetched when there is a couple of feet of snow outside! So I am trying to shine while the weather is nice.

I like your A-post. Art inspires more art! Great word for the letter A! I like the combination of the children's art and the well-known artists like Van Gogh and Georgia O'Keefe. And the explanation of the word 'content' gives depth to your presentation.

Silly of me to not think of the word 'Art'. Mrs. Nesbitt chose 'Art' as well. I could have done this too. But it would have taken more time. I did the simplest possible A-post, by just stepping outside to the garden!

Best wishes,
Anna

For the benefit of other readers:
A is for Anna!

jabblog said...

Lovely post! I liked the children's art best - their creations are so free and colourful.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful Art post! As an art student a lifetime ago, I didn't grasp the importance of "art history." Now I actually look for books on the subject! The different periods are fascinating to me now. I guess with age comes wisdom.

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Great post...what better for A than art? My daughter has a degree to teach art, and we come from a family of artists. It is part of who we are!

Cheryl said...

Beautiful! I love how your doing your own challenge along with ABC too. The kids' stuff? Delightful.

Vinay Leo R. said...

Beautiful! Your art is very captivating..! :)