by
Sheyda Ardalan, Ed. D
Department of Art &
Art Education
Teachers College,
Columbia University
New York, NY 10027
Cultures around the world use similar forms to express themselves. Although these forms differ from country to country, the truth is that the spirit of these expressions remains the same. This is true for the art of young children. The first marks a young child leaves on a surface all look the same no matter where in the world the child is. It is not until culture interferes with the child’s creative thought process that one can tell the works of art created by children in different countries.
There is tremendous creative impulse in children, whether
they become artists or businessmen or something else when they grow up. Children
create art with no intent on making a picture in the adult sense of the world.
They create to visualize their experiences of the world. They create without
fear of composition, of perspective, of “wrong” colors, of proportion, of
realism, and many of the theories of principles and elements of art and design
that we impose on our own schoolchildren. Pablo Picasso said:
“Every child is an artist. The problem is
how to remain an artist once we grow up. It took me four years to paint like
Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Picasso was not the only one who thought so. Kandinsky, Klee, Chagall, Rousseau, and Miro, among a few, all tried to capture in their work the organic and wholesome qualities of children’s art. They understood that the more technique there is, the less there is.
This brings me to self-taught art, also called primitive art, naïve art, outsider art, and folk art. Similar to young children, self-taught artists have a tremendous impulse to create and at the same time have no interest in making art in the formal manner of the art academy. They draw, paint, and sculpt for their own personal interests without any concern for perspective, proportion, balance, or composition. They create without fear of “wrong” colors and of realism, and their idea of art collides with the formulas imposed by formal art schools. They create works of art that explore their relationships with the world around them; they create to visualize their life experiences with a boldness that is invigorating. Whether influenced by popular or traditional art or not, the impact of daily life surfaces in the works of self-taught artists and through their art, they tell us great stories, stories that contain common universal themes. Since events of life permeate their art, it is easy for people of all ages to not only enjoy art made by self-taught artists, but also relate to them.
The creative thrust of self-taught artists is as potent as that of a formally trained artist. Their art evolves as a pure entity, completely unspoiled and without academia interference and inhibition. For this reason, self-taught artists have the capacity to work within a free and fluid style that excludes the constrains of technique and the elements and principles of art and design. They are able to combine a powerful inner voice with a strong creative insight to easily communicate a visual narration. Thus, allowed to develop freely, the aesthetic sensibility of a self-taught artist bears a freshness and quality that is lacking in most formal academia art.