Drawing and painting
“The painter has the universe in his mind and hands.” -Leonardo da Vinci-
Drawing and painting are two very beneficial activities. They help develop fine motor skills, writing, reading, creativity, and boost self-esteem, among other things.
Not only that, but drawing and painting are excellent ways for children to express their feelings and emotions. And if that weren’t enough, they play a significant role in their personality development and psychological maturity.
If you want to encourage natural creativity, experts recommend offering children free drawing and painting opportunities. That way, the child can give free rein to their imagination and creative expression. Give them materials such as crayons, clay, fingerpaint, and watercolors. Let them experiment on chalkboards, cardboard, canvases, and even walls. ( extract from this article)
So why is Art considered a "luxury", not a "real job" and why is art and culture the first thing that is destroyed in times of war, or preserved? Is art important, and is it for everyone, from the fisherman to the socialite? And why?
A barbarian is someone who looks at culture and finds no beauty at all. A barbarian looks at a mosque or a burial mound and dreams only of exacting pain. (J.M. Coetzee’s spare allegory “Waiting for the Barbarians”)
Art is communication. Children express emotions. Artists draw attention to contemporary events, or their interpretation of the world. It is a language that forces you to focus when creating. To meditate, to channel what is abstract on a paper. An idea you have, an image.
On the other hand...
Watching art, beauty calms the spirit, raises questions, and provides serenity.
Art is what we have left from previous generations. Greek vases, drawings...
Art defines us in time. Who we were, what we believed at, how we made love, what our culture was.
But now with technology, things change.
Art is easier, fancier. More commercialized. Used for marketing purposes.
Andy Warhol started the trend, and Pop Art,
However this is not about Art History, For that, you can follow that link and that link and that link and feast your eyes. I actually encourage you to exercise copying the masters, studying where they put light, shade, and how they decided to portray, and why.
This blog post was about the feeling that you are left with after watching a painting that "speaks" to you. How you feel elevated, serene, and healed from stress.
How you may feel inspired to create beauty yourself, Be it by cleaning your home, or have a calm and constructive conversation without conflict, or creating something yourself on paper.
It is humbling and also the explanation and reason of our existence.
It helps us stay alert and intelligent, and it literally is food for our brain and vitality for our body.
In the years I am teaching, I saw children improve their grades, and their ability to understand themselves and others better, as we went on to explore stories, and narratives, in their work.
I met adults that are successful and yet needed to stay in contact with their creative side, to keep a balance.
Drawing always starts with pleasure, then the need to show and get the sacred attention
of others, and then transforms itself in a need to better ourselves, and go beyond our limits.
It creates confidence, dexterity, observational skills, and patience.
And art is the ONLY SKILL that is learnable, and one that is acquired.