Artistic Differences

Late yesterday afternoon, my sons attended an art class through our public library.  Attending their events is one of those things we always try to make a habit.  The library has wonderful opportunities in art, in technology, in just having fun at their B movie fest.  

Well, at yesterday's class, the art teacher instructed the students to draw from one of the three-dimensional, wire chicken models on display.  They were to then water color over the crayon to show how the crayon resists the water color.  Always a fun project.  The teacher, who is a wonderful artist, carefully showed the students how to accurately draw the dimensions of the wire chickens.  

My twelve-year old picked a chicken and drew it.  But he drew his a little different.  He opted out of putting in the full dimensions and instead added a spooky background.  For a second picture, he opted out of the chicken all together and went with a Halloween theme (complete with using a feather he found outside the library to etch a face on the moon).  

My ten-year old was not into chickens, so he opted to instead draw the Halloween theme presented on the water cups.  He used mainly crayon, but he did water color in the tree, so he got his water coloring in as well.  

As I watched all the students do their art, there was one little girl who was in tears because she did not like the way her chicken looked.  It was not like the chicken the teacher drew.  Her mother and the teacher helped her draw the chicken to the specifications given.  She was okay with that, but there was still no look of pride on her face.  It wasn't really her drawing.  It wasn't her artwork.  It wasn't her creation.  

As I watched the students in this art class, I thought back to Picasso.  Picasso tried many different styles of art throughout his life.  Many of his early styles were similar to the style of other artists.  His latest style, though, became his most famous.  Ironically, he was criticized for his later artwork.  Many could not understand why anyone would want to see an eye where an ear is supposed to be - and what's up with the form?  That's not the way life looks.  It's not the way life works.  Isn't art supposed to imitate life?  

Of course, when we think of Picasso today, we think of his absurdities.  We think of his creativity.  Love his style or hate it, he created something different.  He expressed his own feelings.  He didn't do it the way everyone else did.  That's what makes it great.  

I, personally, love my sons' artwork from last night. Their artwork was totally different than the teacher's artwork.  Their artwork was different than everyone else's artwork.  But artistic differences are important.  Art is not the place for conformity to reign supreme.