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The 4 Components of Visual Arts Component 1:

Artistic Perception: Processing sensory information: what elements (line, shape, color) were used?

Component 2: Creative Expression: Producing works in the arts: what media and methods were used?

Component 3: Historical and Cultural Context: The time and place of creation of art works: where, when, and why was the work done?

Component 4: Aesthetic Valuing: Pursuing meaning in the arts: how well didthe artists achieve their intent

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Component 1 Artistic Perception Developing an understanding of the visual characteristics of artworks, other objects

made by humans, nature, and the events people experience requires the use of the senses of sight, smell, sound and touch. The ways in which people perceive are shaped by their individual experiences and the opportunities they have to educate their senses. Students learn to recognize the visual structures and functions of art through the observation, comprehension, and application of composition and design principles. Perceiving and understanding the components of the visual arts requires an awareness and comprehension of the language of the visual arts.

In this section you will learn how works are organized by the

principles of design: balance, symmetry/asymmetry, contrast, repetition, emphasis and unity, and you will learn the elements of art: line, color/value, shape/form, texture and perspective/space).

Principles of Design Contrast: Unlikeness. Difference in form, line, texture and

color. Contrast adds variety, interest and drama. Emphasis or contrast is the combination of elements to stress their differences and focus attention on the most important parts ofthe design.

The Family of Saltimbanques (1905) - Pablo Picasso This playful image of circus performers from Picasso's Rose Period shows contrasting figures of different shapes and sizes.

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The Calling of Saint Matthew (1602) - Michelangelo Merisi da Carravagio. The artist uses contrast here in terms of value, dark and light, which helps him build drama.

Cadeau (1921) - Man Ray This photograph of an iron plays with the contrasting idea of its heat and therefore candles on a cake. The black image against a white background creates a style of "high" contrast.

Repetition - Pattern & Rhythm Repetition: Use of a line, color or motif in more than one

place in a composition. Variations of repetition are Pattern and Rhythm.

Pattern: Regular repetition of elements.

The Kiss (1907-08) - Gustav Klimt This highly ornamental work is an image of two lovers in an embrace, with the surface decoratively fragmented into patterns and designs.

Rhythm: A way of combining elements to produce the look of

action or cause the viewer's eye to sweep over the work in a certain manner, often by careful placement of repeated elements to create a visual tempo.

The Dance (1909-10) - Henri Matisse The playful movement of the figures interwoven into this continuous circle of motion sets up a dance-like rhythmic pattern.

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Movement is used to direct attention to the center of interest

(emphasis) or main part of the work. The artist strategically places the elements to make your eye move across the image.

In two-dimensional works the canvas is flat so any sensation of depth, action, or motion is an illusion.

Race Horses (1885-88) - Edgar Degas The artist has created the feeling of movement by using short, quick lines, depicting the horses in action, and by composing the picture off center.

In three-dimensional works some artworks actually do move,

allowing the viewer to study the constantly changing relationship of colors, shapes, forms, lines and texture.

Steel Fish (1934) - Alexander Caulder The metal mobile invites the viewer's interaction in order to stimulate the responding motion.

Discobolos (The Discus Thrower) (c.450 B.C.) - Myron In this life-sized marble copy of Myron's original bronze, notice howmuscle position defines a moment of athletic movement.

Look at one of the paintings above. Do you notice how your

gaze follows the path of curving lines, contours of shape, repeated colors, textures or shapes?

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Emphasis/Dominance

Emphasis/Dominance

Emphasis/Dominance: The largest, brightest or lightest area

in the painting may direct the eye of the viewer to emphasize a featured point.

The Third of May (1808-14)- Francisco de Goya In this dramatic canvas we direct our focus at the victim about to be shot. Even though he is placed asymmetrically to the left of the picture, he draws our attention with his white shirt, the lightest andbrightest object in the composition.

The Eisenheim Alterpiece: The Crucifixion (1509-10) - Matthias Grunewald. The dominant figure of Christ, centered on the canvas is larger and brighter than the other figures.

Elements of Art: Sensory components used to create and

discuss works of art. Line

vertical horizontal diagonal zigzag angular crosshatched thick thin parallel

Form & Shape realistic geometric abstract idealized naturalistic nonrepresentationalamorphous biomorphic

Perspective/Space

Texture smooth rough velvety silky downy bumpy

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Color hue intensity value

one-point two-point consistent inconsistent

The following pages explain, define and give examples of the

elements of art.

Line Line: The path of a moving point. Lines take many forms and may convey emotional qualities.

An emphasizing line is a contour line, showing the contour edges of an object. A de-emphasizing line can eliminate or hide the outline and is called painterly. An axis line, an imaginary line traced through one or several objects in a picture, shows if objects have been organized in a particular direction.

Use of lines can help the artist express a concept.

Vertical lines may show strength of character or dignity, while horizontal lines suggest relaxation, peace, death, stability, or static.

Straight lines may suggest rigidity, strength or dignity.

Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (1921) - Piet Mondrian An example from the Early Modern Period, this oil painting is composed of eight vertical and four horizontal strong black lines bisecting the canvas at irregular intervals.

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Chartres Cathedral (1145-1220) The bold strength of Gothic architecture impresses the viewer with its upward, vertical sweep of construction lines reaching toward heaven.

Diagonal or angular lines may suggest conflict or opposition.

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) - Pablo Picasso This painting, a transition into the Cubist period, shocked the world with its innovative presentation. The African masks evidence Picasso's willingness to accept influences other than Greek & Roman.The women stare boldly at the viewer, while the entire canvas throbs under the pressure of diagonal, zigzag and angular lines, building dynamic conflict.

Angular lines can also illustrate compromise, defeat or

surrender.

Long curved lines are used to show grace or sensuous movement while short curved lines express excitement or nervousness.

Wham (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein The strong angled lines echo the power of the explosive impact within the image.

Go for the Baroque (1979) – Roy Lichtenstein This large canvas painted in 1979 is a modernist reflection on the Baroque masters, reinterpreting their voluptuous, sinuous lines in the machine age.

Examples using thick and thin lines:

The Old King (c.1916-1936) - Gearges Roualt The heavy, thick, black lines of paint give a stained glass motif to this royal profile.

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The Great Wave (1823-29) - Katsushika Hokusai This Japanese master used a thin sinuous line to emphasize the grace and movement of the great wave in this 19th century woodcut.

Again, parallel lines can suggest repose and stability.

Cross-hatched lines are parallel lines that cross other parallel lines.

A Bigger Splash (1969) - David Hockney The parallel verticals of the palm trees echo the horizontal parallel lines of the pool and building. The angular splash awakens the viewer from a feeling of complacency and stability created by the repeated horizontal and vertical lines.

La Calavera Catrina (1913) - Jose Guadalupe Posada This relief etching was formed with cross hatched lines to create the darker shadows.

Color and Value Color: Reflection or absorption of light on a surface.

Color has three aspects or qualities: hue, intensity, and value.

Hue is the name of a color. Primary colors are red, yellow and blue. Secondary colors orange, green and violet are formed by the combination of two primary colors. Complimentary colors lie opposite each other on the color wheel (see color wheel below). Side by side they appear brightest, mixed together they make brown.

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Intensity is the quality of brightness and purity (chroma). Strong bright hues have high intensity. Faint, dull or almost neutral hues have low intensity.

Value: Lightness and darkness of a color. Add black or white to a hue to obtain value. Value may exist in the absence of color, e.g. as in drawings, woodcuts, lithographs, photographs, sculpture or architecture. Light rays produce the sensation of value in the eye. Water, sky and foliage suggest coolness; fire and sun, warmth. Blue and green recede; red and yellow advance.

Color Wheel - Paul Curci, (11th grade) Buena High School, Ventura, CA.

Impression Sunrise (1872) - Claude Monet Monet's early painting established much of what was to direct his artistic theories and the school of Impressionism. The concept of the absorption or reflection of light from a subject is the basic description of the image itself, whether haystacks, lily ponds or the Cathedral at Rouen. Can you see the use of complimentary colors blue and orange (in the image above), which create color brilliance in the sunrise?

Value: Amount of light in a composition, or differences in a

hue or neutral ranging from lightest to darkest, such as white to black.

The Conversion of St. Paul (1600-01) - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. This large canvas of 1600 exemplifies the heightened emotion of the Baroque Period by the dramatic chiaroscuro or emphasis of light and dark (dramatic differences in value).

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Form and Shape

Form: The suggestion of three-dimensional volume, defined

by color, value and texture.

The Creation (1509-1512) - Michelangelo di Buonarrti In one of the best-known Renaissance images, Michelangelo illustrates sculptural form within a two-dimensional plane. The rich color of this Sistine Chapel fresco precursors later emphasis on value. Michelangelo conveys texture with such force that we can almost feel the softness of Adam's skin or the coarseness of God's beard.

Shape: Two-dimensional, the area enclosed by an outline.

Moulin Rouge (1891) - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec This four-color lithograph from 1891 shows Lautrec's confidence in using a fluid line to enclose a flat space.

Realistic form: Depicted in true-to-life manner.

Still Life with Fruit Jars (undated) - Francisco Zurbaran Although at first glance this extremely formal composition appears simple, the artist describes the four forms with light so that they emerge from the dark background with startling realism.

Geometric form: Having shapes with uniformly straight or

curved edges.

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The Fruit Dish (1874) - Georges Braque The works of Picasso and Braque demonstrate the style of cubism in which objects are fragmented into geometric shapes.

Idealized form: Rendered as an ideal.

The Beguiling of Merlin (1874) - Edward Burne-Jones The Pre-Raphaelites emphasized the romantic idealized beauty of the human form in a new interpretation of the classical image. Burne-Jones paints in a "dreamy style of literary romance." Many of his figures are rather androgynous in their beauty.

Discoboulo, The Discus Thrower (5th century B.C.) - Myron Classical Greek artists idealized the human form, such as young athletes in their prime.

Naturalistic form: Imitating the effect or appearance of

nature.

Wheatstacks End of Summer (1890-91) - Claude Monet Monet's fascination with the play of light on objects led him to study nature, painting multiple canvases to imitate the effect of light at different times of the day.

Abstract form: Non-representational composition created

through the use of form, line, color.

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Remembrance of a Garden (1914) - Paul Klee In this canvas, Klee playfully divides his spaces into colors and patterns, a visual memory of a garden's textures, colors and fragrances.

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Improvisation VII (1913) - Wassily Kandinsky Throughout the early 1900s Kandinsky pioneered the concepts of Abstract Expressionism using color and form rather than representational form to deliver his message.

Non-representational form: Natural objects not represented

realistically.

The Italians (1961) - Cy Twombly This 1961 Modern Abstract was composed of oil, pencil and crayon on canvas and measures over 6 x 8 feet. The image is nonrepresentational and the artist relies on the power and interest of the elements to carry the message.

The distinction between abstract and non-representational

images is often confusing. Amorphous form: Lacking definite form, shapeless.

Compositions VI (early 20th century) - Wassily Kandinsky The artist's canvases display an amorphous play of color and movement in which there is no recognizable object.

Biomorphic form: Having the form of a living entity. The Policeman (1925) - Joan Miro

In the early twentieth century this Spanish artist simplified the living forms into

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Texture Texture: The appearance of surface quality or feel. The

impression received from an artwork, ranging from silken smooth to sandpaper rough.

Collage is the technique of adding paper, cloth or other materials to the surface, creating forms that increase textual awareness.

Examples of texture: Smooth: No textural "barriers" or "distractions"

La Pieta (1555-64) - Michelangelo di Buonarroti The carved marble images are finished with such high quality that the observer can imagine how smooth they would be to the touch.

Rough: Can be created by the heavy application of paint

The Cathedral of Rouen (1892, dated 1894) - Claude Monet The paint is laid on the canvas in such a heavy manner as to suggest roughness of the surface.

Velvety

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Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap (1486) - Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) The thick richness of oils lends a velvety effect to the expensive clothes of this young nobleman.

Silky

The Birth of Venus (1485) - Sandro Botticelli The smooth application of oil paint on this Italian Renaissance masterpiece evokes the impression of silken skin and hair to the beautiful gods and goddesses.

Downy

Young Hare (1502)- Albrecht Durer Durer was so exacting in his replication of nature, that the observer can almost feel the rabbit's soft fur.

Bumpy

Broadway Boogie Woogie (1943)- Piet Mondrian The superimposed squares of primary colors conjure up bumps across the flat canvas. This rhythm of color almost turns up the music.

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Perspective/Space

Perspective: The illusions of depth or distance and the relative positions of objects.

Space refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within artworks, either three or two-dimensional.

Three-dimensional has height, width, and depth and actual space, such as in sculpture, ceramics or architecture.

Two-dimensional is limited to height and width (no depth or distance).

Atmospheric perspective: Using less detail on distant shapes and greater detail on closer shapes, or using duller, less intense hues for shapes in the distance, or by coloring distant shapes with hues that appear bluer to suggest the layers of atmosphere between the viewer and those shapes.

Foreshortening: Placing distant shapes higher and closer shapes lower in the picture plane, making distant shapes smaller and closer shapes larger, or slanting the lines of shapes (buildings and other objects) inward to make them appear to extend back into space.

The School of Athens (1510-11) - Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio). Set under a vast architectural arch, the creative geniuses of the world are flanked by a series of arches that recede into the distant landscape.

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The Tempest (1508) - Giorgione da Castelfranco This Venetian Renaissance painting positions two groups of figures on either side of the canvas, while the central spot is reserved for adramatically storm-lit town in the distance. How does the artist show us that these buildings are in the far distance?

Different Perspectives: One-point perspective:

A way to show 3-D objects on a 2-D surface. Lines which appear to go away from the viewer meet at a single point on the horizon. This point is known as the vanishing point.

Two-point perspective: A system to show 3-D objects on a 2-D surface. The use of two vanishing points on the horizon line create the illusion of space and volume.

Images by Christene Kovell Consistent Perspective: The perspective lines meet at the

same vanishing point (review images below).

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Inconsistent Perspective: Different parts of the picture have

different vanishing points (review images below).

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Principles of Design

Principles of Design: The organization of works of art. These

principles involve ways to arrange the elements of art. Balance

symmetry/asymmetry

Contrast

Repetition pattern rhythm movement

Emphasis/Dominance

Unity proportion composition variety

The following pages provide definitions and examples of the

principles of design.

Balance Symmetry: A way of combining elements to add a feeling of

equilibrium or stability to a work; an even division of space.

Symmetrical or formal balance: Two halves are equally balanced. One side mirrors the other (the simplest kind of balance).

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Betrothal of the Arnolfini (1434) - Jan Van Eyck This Northern Renaissance painting balances the couple symmetrically, one on either side of the panel. They are separated by the intriguing mirror that reflects them from behind.

Le Violin d'Ingres (1924) - Man Ray The play of the image of the musical instrument superimposed upon the women's back creates a balanced, symmetrical composition.

Asymmetry: Lack of symmetry. An informal balance that

takes into account such qualities as hue, intensity and value, as well as size and shape.

Catalan Landscape (1923-1924) - Joan Miro The fanciful shapes are loosely positioned on the canvas in an asymmetrical manner.

The Starry Night (1889) - Vincent Van Gogh The dark cypress on the left counterbalances the bright moon at farright.

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Component 2

Creative Expression Expression in the visual arts instruction includes the creation and performance of

original works of art and involves the interpretation of thoughts, perceptions, and ideas in creating artworks. Students must actively work in these expressive modes to understand and appreciate the visual arts. Students develop visual arts skills and increase their visual arts literacy by using a variety of media and technical processes. Creative expression in the visual arts helps students know themselves better and appreciate their own and others' creativity.

Two-Dimensional Art There are many ways to apply pigment to a surface, such

as: tempera, water, gouache, oil, acrylic, ink, charcoal and pencil. Surfaces can range from board, canvas, paper, silk and linen to frescos and mosaics. As many palettes and methods of application exist as the imagination allows.

Media

tempera watercolor gouache oil acrylic ink charcoal pencil photography

Surface board canvas paper silk linen fresco

Methods palatte brush knife photography

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The following pages explain, define and give examples of the above media, surfaces, and methods of application.

Media Tempera: As early as the 10th century, egg tempera, a

mixture of pigment, water and egg yolk, was used on altarpieces or gessoed panels. Today's tempera, an opaque painting medium in liquid or powdered form, is commonly used in classrooms because it is easy to work with and can be cleaned and thinned with water.

Note: Tempera is not just for kindergarten students. Today's tempera paint is also used professionally. Tempera can be applied to paper, but will also look very professional when applied to gessoed masonite and sealed with Modge Podge for a glossy finish. This process can be used at the elementary level.

Madonna and Child (c.1455) - Fra Filippo Lippi This Italian Renaissance work is delicately painted in egg tempera on panel.

Christina’s World (1948) - Andrew Wyeth 500 years later Andrew Wyeth used egg tempera on panel to paint Christina’s World, a meticulously detailed image of a young woman in a dry field.

Watercolor: Watercolor differs from tempera primarily in its

transparency. Artists generally do not use the color white, since they can achieve the light value by letting the paper's white color show through the paint. It can be used in a

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realistic, controlled manner or allowed to run with water. Its ease of cleanup makes it an ideal classroom paint.

Sailing The Catboat (date?) - Winslow Homer This Winslow Homer painting is one of his many watercolor studies that give us fresh impressions of the world of nature.

Gouache: Pronounced "gwash." Gouache is similar to water

color but has chalk added for greater opacity. While illustrators often use gouache, it is not commonly used in the classroom.

Graphic artist Chris Martinez of Ventura California created this beautiful gouache illustration for a local festival.

Oil: Pigments and linseed oil blended to create oil paints were

first used in northern Europe in the 1400’s, and their popularity quickly spread to Italy during the Renaissance.

Rembrandt’s many self-portraits are examples of oil on canvas.

Acrylic: Developed in the early 1950’s, acrylic paint is pigment

mixed with polymer mediums rather than oils, and provides a water based, quick drying paint that can be applied thick like oils or can be thinned down with water to layered transparencies.

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Lavender Mist (1950) - Jackson Pollack An example of Pollack's unique technique of pouring and dripping acrylic paint over a large canvas.

Ink: The concept of ink in the visual arts is broad. It can be

applied with roller ball pens, felt tip pens, or calligraphy pens dipped into inks. Inks may be permanent or water based. They may be applied thick or thin or in a dry brush technique.

Vitruvius Man, Study of Proportions (c.1487) - Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo's Study of Proportions, is one of many ink drawings from his sketchbooks and focuses on classical proportions.

Charcoal Pencil: Charcoal can be used as vine charcoal,

compressed charcoal or in pencil form. It is highly suitable for creating tone drawings. You can apply charcoal directly, blend it with a finger, rag, or stump of rolled paper and create or "lift" highlights with an eraser.

Copy of Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, by Ryan Carr (2001), junior, Buena High School, Ventura California. The careful application of charcoal on toned paper with white as highlights creates lifelike modeling of the image.

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Surface Board: Board or panel has long been a popular surface for

painting. Second century A.D. Egyptian Faiyum mummies are covered by a painted panel which depicted is painted a portrait of the deceased. Modern artists may use masonite.

The Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi (c.1420) - Fra Angelico. Oil, tempera, and gold on panel.

Canvas: Canvas is a fabric that can be prepared for painting.

Painting on canvas has been popular since the Renaissance.

Burial of the Count Orgaz (1586) - El Greco This large and dramatic painting by El Greco is done on canvas.

Paper, Silk, and Linen are all examples of surfaces used by

artists for painting or drawing.

Copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Study of a Woman's Head, by Diane Essex (2001), junior, Buena High School, Ventura California. This is a charcoal drawing on paper.

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Fresco: Fresco painting was much used in the Renaissance. It is a process of mixed pigment and lime-plaster applied to a freshly plastered surface. The paint becomes one with the plaster, but the artist must work quickly while the plaster is still damp.

Michelangelo’s Sistene Chapel Ceiling is a well known example of fresco painting.

Methods of Application

Each artist has his own unique style, and the method of

application is part of this. An artist may apply the medium with bold strokes or precise brushes. In analyzing a painting, it is always interesting to view the individual's methods of application.

Vincent Van Gogh’s methods of application are well known examples of broad slashes of thick paint quickly applied to the canvas in an impasto method as is seen in one of his last paintings, the dramatic Wheatfield With Crows (1890).

Palette: The palette may refer to the colors the artist uses,

or the flat surface on which the colors are mixed.

Self Portrait As An Artist (1887) - Vincent Van Gogh You can see the artist before his easel, with palette in hand.

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Brush: A paintbrush is the traditional means an artist uses to apply paint to a surface. Self Portrait As An Artist (above) shows Van Gogh holding his paintbrushes.

Palette Knife: A palette knife may be used to mix colors on a

palette, clean the palette, or apply paint to a surface. Van Gogh often used a palette knife to apply paint in rich and textured surfaces.

Photography: Photography is a limitless art form in itself,

and all the elements of visual arts (design, composition, value, texture, form and shape), also apply to photography. The concept of capturing a visual image on film first came into play in the 19th century, and while vast numbers of people use cameras to record their surroundings, families, and events, only a few have truly mastered the art.

Ansel Adams ranks as one of the best-known American photographers. He captured the majesty of American landmark Yosemite Valley in dramatic black and white images.

Edward Curtis carried his camera and equipment through North America in the early 1900’s to preserve and record images of American Indians and their environment.

Man Ray's photographs echo the surrealist style of Salvador Dali.

At the Water's Edge (1910) - Edward Curtis. Photogravure. Curtis, influenced by the Pictorialist movement, viewed the making of photographs as fine art. Artistry, talent and vision are evident in the carefully composed romanticized image. Curtis tried to capture images of traditional Native American life before it "vanished."

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Cadeau (1921) - Man Ray. One of the founders of modern photography and one of the first to make photograms, he is credited with creations that show playfulness and spontaneity.

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Component 3 Historical and Cultural Context 1. Subjects of art may be religious, ethical,

allegorical, or historical in intent. They may be important portraits, contemporary life or genre, landscapes, marine, or still life.

2. To place artwork within a historical framework of

time and place, use: a. Description: When, where, and by whom. b. Analysis: Unique features or style. c. Interpretation: Influence of the world or

environment upon the artist. d. Judgment: Importance within the history of art. 3. Know how a class or group of artworks can

influence one another: a. Sculpture can relieve the functionalism of

architecture. b. Sculpture can reflect popular ideals:

ie. Egyptian temple sculptures. c. Paintings, mosaics and frescoes give pictorials

dimension, i.e., Rome, Hagia Sophia. d. Recognize that poetry, music, dance, or drama

can "profile" the age. 4. The historical style or period is reflected by

artwork. 5. The function of a work is often connected to the

influence of the culture.

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a. Arts can be experienced at the same time.

(example) b. A work of art may be the sole means of

communication with society. c. The arts can reflect the politics, economy and

social standards of the time. d. Art fulfills a universal desire to understand selves

and the world.

Significant Periods in Art

Below are 21 significant periods in art history and the

approximate dates that they occurred: The Birth of Art 33,000B.C.-1,500A.D. Egyptian 3,000B.C. - 30A.D. Asian 4,000B.C. - Present Pre-Columbian 1,000B.C. - 1500A.D. African 7000B.C. - Present Native American 4,000B.C. - Present Greek 2,500B.C. - 100B.C. Roman 500B.C. - 200A.D. Middle Ages 200A.D. - 1100A.D. Gothic-Late Medieval Style 1100 - 1450 Italian Renaissance 1400 - 1550 Northern Renaissance 1400 - 1550 Venetian Ren. & Mannerism 1450 - 1600 Baroque 1550 - 1700 Rococo 1700 - 1800 Neo-Classical 1750 - 1850

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Romanticism 1750 - 1850 Impressionism & Post-Imp. 1850 - 1900 Realism 1870 - Present Early Modern 1900 - 1950 Late Modern 1950 - Present

Component 4 Aesthetic Valuing Analyzing and responding to their own artworks and to those of others allows

students to understand the feelings and ideas expressed in two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art created by artists of many cultures, place and times.Aesthetic valuing in the visual arts involves analysis of and appreciative response to the intent, purpose and technical proficiency of artworks. Students learn to make sound critical judgments about the quality and success of artworks from their own experiences in and perceptions about the visual arts. They express their responses through discussion and written forms.

- The California Visual & Performing Arts Framework K-12 Pursuing meaning in the arts: How well did the artists achieve

their intent?

It is important that students at all levels, beginning in elementary classrooms, learn aesthetic valuing. Teachers of elementary classes can introduce their students to important works of art, and by using the vocabulary of art, help them to discuss and understand them. Art is a major part of the great cultural and historical gift we give to future generations. It helps us to understand our past, present and future, and elevates our passions and allows our spirits to soar. Students who cannot visualize the work of masters like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Picasso or Van Gogh, or who lack the vocabulary to

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discuss them, are limited in their creative spirit.

For us, the teachers of these children, we must be confident in our use of the language of art. Our students will understand us. We must not be timid in our discussion of art or of the presentation of great masterpieces. Our students already have the creative gift. If we can support them through language and exposure to works of art, we will widen their horizons and hasten their own creative development.