A PLAY OF COLORS
November 6, 2002 | 12:00am
Papa, look at my drawing!" With pride, my five-year-old daughter presents her lovingly created artwork. Dreamy figures, beautifully elongated, of princes and princesses all faceless yet clearly happy and content. Colors are bright but not gaudy, well-balanced and create a feeling of warmth. As I share my admiration with her, she launches into a description of each character depicted and the activities that they are undertaking.
Over the past three years, I have watched her artwork, for that’s what it is, artwork, evolve from swirling colors to shapes that slowly formed. Animals and trees arising from the interplay of colorful lines to eventually figures. Each artwork, a story. Each line of color, a meaning. I remember my older daughter passing through a similar phase; and, surprisingly, she continues to produce artwork at a ripe "old age" of 12.
As parents, we often take the artwork of our children for granted, meaning we consider it a phase they pass through on their way to adulthood. We exude parental pride as we watch them work through different colors and images as they slowly grow older. And yet, artwork of this sort is very serious business for them.
The first indication of this is that every artwork has a story of its own. This means the colors, the images, the composition cannot be random, regardless of the age of your child. Secondly, they work at it seriously, deeply engrossed in the colors they choose, poring over the paper, occasionally sitting up applying their critical eye to their works. These are not gestures of random activities. Clearly, there is more at work here than meets the eye and evidently, such creativity will not flourish if the environment does not support it.
Why is this so important to the child? Well, as adults, if we ever had truly deep experiences (good or bad), we naturally give it "color." Take the common expressions "Green with envy," "Red with rage," and even "Tickled pink," as examples and we can see how particular experiences, usually involving some inward experience, interestingly enough take on color. How can that be? In other words, we use there particularly "creative and artistic" phrases to describe particular experiences of ours.
Now take the child, with a vocabulary far less developed than the average adult and what do you get? Here is a child who may only be able to express himself or herself through laughter or by crying or, when it is a particularly colorful, i.e. meaningful, experience, by art. The seriousness with which children apply themselves to their artwork should not be taken lightly.
As I watch my daughters grow, I marvel at their capacity to literally color the world they live in. Crayon, colored pencils, watercolor are all used in varying degrees to create a sense of an experience they must surely be undergoing. There is no other apparent explanation. They draw and color scenes not only from their daily existence but also from a world that exists only in their minds. I was a child once so for sure, such a world existed for me once. My daughters reawakened that world in me and I realize how much more their art means.
Today, we see the intrusion of technology into this wonderful world. TV and video games slowly erase this wonderful capacity of children. Drawings reflect all too clearly the world of TV, movies, and video games. The music that moves the child to paint or draw is now replaced by MTV. None of these modern developments are bad; they just need to be contextualized. And a child who has the capacity to color the world in his mind and put it on paper will know how to better deal with the hectic pace of the modern world.
On November 8-12, Manila Waldorf School parents will attempt to show the true language of the pristine child as they present " A Play of Colors " exhibition. Sections of watercolor works done by the preschoolers will be showcased. It will be held at the Rockwell South Court near the fountain. We are inviting the public to take part in this exhibition. The experience of colors will usher one into the children’s realm where these masterpieces were created as class exercises at the Waldorf School.
Over the past three years, I have watched her artwork, for that’s what it is, artwork, evolve from swirling colors to shapes that slowly formed. Animals and trees arising from the interplay of colorful lines to eventually figures. Each artwork, a story. Each line of color, a meaning. I remember my older daughter passing through a similar phase; and, surprisingly, she continues to produce artwork at a ripe "old age" of 12.
As parents, we often take the artwork of our children for granted, meaning we consider it a phase they pass through on their way to adulthood. We exude parental pride as we watch them work through different colors and images as they slowly grow older. And yet, artwork of this sort is very serious business for them.
The first indication of this is that every artwork has a story of its own. This means the colors, the images, the composition cannot be random, regardless of the age of your child. Secondly, they work at it seriously, deeply engrossed in the colors they choose, poring over the paper, occasionally sitting up applying their critical eye to their works. These are not gestures of random activities. Clearly, there is more at work here than meets the eye and evidently, such creativity will not flourish if the environment does not support it.
Why is this so important to the child? Well, as adults, if we ever had truly deep experiences (good or bad), we naturally give it "color." Take the common expressions "Green with envy," "Red with rage," and even "Tickled pink," as examples and we can see how particular experiences, usually involving some inward experience, interestingly enough take on color. How can that be? In other words, we use there particularly "creative and artistic" phrases to describe particular experiences of ours.
Now take the child, with a vocabulary far less developed than the average adult and what do you get? Here is a child who may only be able to express himself or herself through laughter or by crying or, when it is a particularly colorful, i.e. meaningful, experience, by art. The seriousness with which children apply themselves to their artwork should not be taken lightly.
As I watch my daughters grow, I marvel at their capacity to literally color the world they live in. Crayon, colored pencils, watercolor are all used in varying degrees to create a sense of an experience they must surely be undergoing. There is no other apparent explanation. They draw and color scenes not only from their daily existence but also from a world that exists only in their minds. I was a child once so for sure, such a world existed for me once. My daughters reawakened that world in me and I realize how much more their art means.
Today, we see the intrusion of technology into this wonderful world. TV and video games slowly erase this wonderful capacity of children. Drawings reflect all too clearly the world of TV, movies, and video games. The music that moves the child to paint or draw is now replaced by MTV. None of these modern developments are bad; they just need to be contextualized. And a child who has the capacity to color the world in his mind and put it on paper will know how to better deal with the hectic pace of the modern world.
On November 8-12, Manila Waldorf School parents will attempt to show the true language of the pristine child as they present " A Play of Colors " exhibition. Sections of watercolor works done by the preschoolers will be showcased. It will be held at the Rockwell South Court near the fountain. We are inviting the public to take part in this exhibition. The experience of colors will usher one into the children’s realm where these masterpieces were created as class exercises at the Waldorf School.
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