Art Is…by Bev Jackson Cotter

We were looking at slides  — yes, this was a few years ago — of modern art. The classroom included students mostly around 18 years of age and a woman about 70. I was also an “older than average student,” but not quite 40. I had been told that the white-haired lady continued to take art classes, and at the time I thought it was odd. Now I think, “Hooray for her!”

When one particularly unusual piece was shown, she blurted out, “My grandchildren could do that.” The instructor responded, “I don’t think so.”

As I continued taking classes, I learned that we all go through the same steps while learning how to do art. As a child, we start with scribbling, move on to stick figure types with round heads, begin to add details to identify people, and gradually add more detail until our pictures become almost photographically real.

Most people stop drawing or painting somewhere in that gradually adding more detail category, somewhere around sixth to eighth grade. Then, when we pick up art again, we start where we left off.

The appreciation of abstract art comes from understanding that photographically real art is only one style. There are so many more interpretations.

That same instructor said, “Laborers work with their hands, craftsmen work with their hands and their heads, and artists work with their hands, their heads, and their hearts.” It’s the heart part that makes truly great art.

Joseph Albers painted large, single color squares on a background of another color. The edges blurred together. His simple creations were riveting. You might question “Why?” or “What’s the purpose?” and I don’t know if there are answers that satisfy, but I do know that his pieces are fascinating to look at.

Alexander Calder created mobiles from simple abstract shapes, elegantly floating overhead.  You could ask the same why and purpose questions of his art.

Roy Lichtenstein painted enlarged replicas of comics. Remember when newspaper photographs were made up of tiny dots? His painting were so enlarged that the people looked polka dotted.  His work made it into the modern art textbooks.

In the book Meaning in Children’s Art by Edward Mattil and Betty Marzan, there is a line that I love. It is “Every new thing that has ever been created resulted from the imaginative ability of one individual whose vision went beyond the realities of the known world.”

They go on to say, “Children need the chance to wonder, to ponder, to dream and to have a positive, constructive outlet for their imaginations. A work of art is really the artist’s visual report of the discoveries he has made about himself and his environment. All children possess a creative instinct. . .Art experiences will ultimately cause the child to grow into a more observant, discriminating, confident, and sensitive adult.”

“Every new thing that has ever been created…” Think about it. The wheel, the steam engine, the microwave oven, your smartphone, how many of those bloomin’ things that make up our world come from someone’s creative imagination, the imagination of an individual whose vision went beyond his present reality. They all came from that creative instinct that every child possesses and most adults forget they ever had.

In March, the Albert Lea Art Center is combining with area school districts and the Northbridge Mall association to showcase the artwork of students, kids from kindergarten through high school. We are excited to present the creativity of our future artists, scientists and dreamers.  No matter what stage they are in, from scribbling to photographically real, or maybe even abstract, we want to honor their efforts and encourage their growth. Whether they become the next well known artist or maybe the white-haired lady who continues to take classes, we know they are putting their best work out there and we know you will enjoy.

 

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center, 226 W. Clark St. in Albert Lea.