Friday, September 24, 2010
DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES IN ART
How do you see Anna Kindler's theory of 'developing visual sensitivity' and 'developing proficiency in the use of art media' connected to the traditional theories of artistic development (i.e. scribble phases, etc.) as discussed in class? Site specific examples of these connections in your explanation.
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Anna Kindler’s theory of “developing visual sensitivity” and “developing proficiency in the use of art media is in fact connected to the traditional theories of artistic development. Anna Kindler explained in her work “Art and Art in early childhood: What can young children learn from a/Art activities” that children can become very proficient in art activities when they are allowed to become more familiar with the art media. She gave the example of working with clay. When given the opportunity to work with clay, children will form the most rudimentary shapes, balls, pancakes etc. However given time, and the opportunity to become more acquainted with such materials, children will produce more complex images that represent things they see. This is related to the stages of artistic development. Scribbling is kind of like children creating balls, pancakes and other simple objects. Scribbling allows children to become acquainted with the materials and once they develop the skills to hold the crayon and make intentional marks on the paper, they can, in this way create more meaningful objects. Over time, children begin to create objects that look like what they are meant to look like.
ReplyDeletekendler proposes that a childs artistic development is directly linked to the development of the child herself. This development, she says, is "constantly in flux and constantly in the process of redefining". The traditional theories, such as that of Victor Lowenfelds theories of the staged progression of children's art beginning with simple mark making and scribbling and developing into figurative drawing. Kindler expands on the traditional school of thought by adding three dimensional media into the equation like clay and sculpture.Another modification to the usual style of \childhood artistic interpretation is Kindlers three variables to conciser, the individual, the field, and the domain. My view of Kindler's process is that it is more thorough and gives a more accurate picture of childhood development.
ReplyDeleteKindler's theories fit perfectly into the existing theories such as the scribble phase. Specifically, her idea of developing proficiency in the art medium is exactly in line with the ideas of the scribble phase. Along with developing fine motor skills while the child works with pencil and paper, they are also inadvertently becoming acquainted with the medium. And while the child develops the motor skills, they also develop and idea of what the medium can and can't do. As for visual sensitivity, I think this can be best developed with the clay example that Kindler mentions. In giving a child clay, several things are accomplished – the proficiency with the medium is strengthened, the motor skills are more finely developed, and visual sensitivity is enhanced because the child gets to see the object in progress in the round. With 2-D materials, foreshortening and other techniques of how to translate an idea to paper can easily discourage a student.
ReplyDeletethre are steps to artistic development when it comes to working with all media. when setting the classroom environment with media for the child to use and contribute to their artistic development such as clay their are steps in development. letting the child learn through play is one of the best ways for a child to expresstheir creativity. having the child explore different types of media to create works of art can contribute to their artistic development. while working with clay the child can draw pictures throughout their creative process. by doing so the child can seethe stages of their work. in recognizing the first steps of learning andrepresenting their ideas using artistic media the creative process can progress over time. seeing the stages in their work can be more conducive to the childs artistic development.
ReplyDeleteAnna Kindler states that young children and art is directly linked to the individual child's mind and body. Kindler's theories and the scribble phase are aligned perfectly. The scribble phase and Kindler's theories develop fine motor skills when using writing utensils and paper. When the child is using their motor skills they start to develop ideas about what they are scribbling.
ReplyDeleteKindler uses clay as an example and it helps kids fine motor skills, visual sensitivity is heightened, and it lets the child create their own ideas. Clay lets the child start with the beginning and then transform it into whatever they desire. All in all, a child's artistic development is more advanced and lets them continuing learning and exploring.
Through the last couple of years, I have wondered how one can apply specific developmental levels to artistic development. Art, in of it self, is unique to the artist and the viewer. It is always changing and manipulated. I truly believe that Anna Kindler’s theory is where our art education should be headed. She states, “Especially in the contemporary contexts where visual imagery other than ‘recognized’ art has become so prevailing, so influential and so seductive in the lives of even very young children, I fully support and encourage early childhood contribution to the development of broadly defined children’s representational competencies, including those that make use of graphic repertoires” (p. 4). I find it interesting that the previous professionals have been quick to name whatever skill level a child is at and that in turn would show intelligence. I feel that as far as art is concerned, we need to show children the wide variety of ‘what is out there’ and allow them their interpretations without labeling what category they fit into. Perhaps if we focused on this rather than their specified skill level, we would have not only stronger creative people but stronger creative thinkers.
ReplyDeleteI love kindlers analogy between children sclupting thier creativity , using what other than sculpture itself. If There is one medium in art to be mindful of when raising creativity its that. With all three dimensions to work with expirimentation is crucial to development. I never liked the stages of development assigned to children. It makes me feel like we're tracking them much like public schools. I dont feel that this is warrented or fair.I am not a fan of restrictions or boundries when it comes to art, i don't think that many are, but i am saying that too many parents are responsible for the "coloring book generation".
ReplyDeleteI see Kindler's theory of developing visual sensitivity and proficiency in the use of art media connected to the traditional theories in the sense that they all benefit each other and in a sense are dependent on each other. She gives the example of dictation drawings, where the child is asked to verbalize his or her observations and then record them in a pictorial form which helps them note nuances and details that would unlikely emerge in spontaneous drawings. The focus is on stimulating visual attentiveness to the environment and not on the end product itself but without traditional phases of artistic development the children would not possess the fundamental skills to further investigate and reflect on their visual acuity.
ReplyDeleteAs a early chidhood education major, I will be qualified for k-3. Althought I do not mind Kindergarden, I would rather teach second / third graders. But, with Anna Kindlers theories on using art-it really came clear to me about the presentation my group had done and the part I had presented which was the 5 stages. Scribbling is a huge part in a childs development and the way Anna describes it has they are creating their own creativity in the way they draw. When children use art to express they way the feel, they are trying to communicate to us what they see through the childs eyes. It is a great way for the skills of children to be used in art due to the fact they are telling a story threw the drawing. By the 5 stages, children will be more advanced and creative due to the fact they are not just coloring on books the parents have bought them but instead, are using their mind and drawing freely.
ReplyDeleteI see Anna Kindler's theory of 'developing visual sensitivity' and 'developing proficiency in the use of art media' as being very connected to the traditional theories of artistic development, such as scribbling phases. In developing proficiency in the use of the art media, the child is not only becoming aware of the different art mediums, but he/she is also working on their fine motor skills. The two go hand-in-hand. In developing visual sensitivity, Kindler describes it best when she speaks about giving a child a ball of clay. Not only is the child becoming proficient in the medium and working on their fine motor skills, as already mentioned, but now they are also gaining visual sensitivity, because they are working with something that is 3-dimensional. Such activities will help the child to become more aware and stimulated by their surroundings, and in turn, make them more visual sensitive.
ReplyDeleteKindler's theory of "developing proficiency in the use of art media is right in line with the artistic developement. I found it to be very interesting when my group did our presentation last week and a one of my group members did her presentation on the five stages. Anna really expressed how important scribbling is in a child's developement and that is how a child express' their feelings or how they may see things and we see them differently. I believe it is a great way for the child's skills to be used in a creative artistic way.
ReplyDeleteI find that with her theory Anna Kindler connects with traditional developmental theories while at the same time takes a more open and flexible approach. In her description of using clay as the medium instead of drawing, Kindler follows a path of assessment of the child's progress, similar to traditional theories while in working with clay. The difference is that Kindler's theory allows for a connection with the real world of contemporary art, where pictoral realism is not a requirement,nor is drawing a requirement. This contemporary aspect of Kindler's theory relates well to the Reggio Emilia approach, in that in the child has more freedom of expression. It is more child-centered in that the expectation for the finished product is not pre-determined.
ReplyDeleteAna Kinglers theory and the use of artistic development are connected in many ways. These two theories are defined as the childs devlopment of fine motor skills. An example of this is using paper and a utensil and Ana Kindler's scribble phase. Scribbling is the first and most important stage in a childs development when it comes to art. This is a time for a child to become creative by how they draw and to express how they feel. By scribbling children try to connect to us through their drawings. As an early education major and a babysitter, I would love to teach the younger children such as kindergarden. I love being able to watch children at a young age draw or scribble. Tehy become creative with their drawings and its interesting to see how they draw and understnad what they see through their scribbles. Its also an amazing feeling to watch the childs scribbles in time turn into an actual picture drawing. Scribbling and artistic development are an essential and fundamental skill that will help further a childs creativity.
ReplyDeleteI find Kindlers theory of development much like that of other theories of child development except that it speaks not only to the child’s development physically or mentally but to the artistic ability that they are also developing. Just like any other subject the more you are exposed to the correct/useful materials the more attuned to their abilities you become. She uses clay as an example, and although I have always considered clay a medium used by older children I can certainly see how continual exposure at an earlier age to the medium would allow the child to experiment with it and find new ways of representing their thoughts. Just like the use of writing/drawing material enhances their ability to make marks and label those marks as familiar objects in their world. I really like the article on painting and remember experiencing it with a preschooler last semester as she had inadvertently placed the brush in the blue bottle instead of the red. She was surprised to see that she had created a new color that no one else had. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she wondered what else she could make and began to mix the brushes and experimenting with the results. I personally like to use unconventional mediums, pudding and shaving cream are fun for the children and the shaving cream allows them to not only paint but to create 3 dimensional forms as well. Many others have given us stages of development in children by I do not believe that anyone else has look at the artistic creation process and shown that the repeated exposure to materials lends itself to the discovery of an appreciation for art as well as pure enjoyment of the activity.
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