Applying Lowenfeld S Art Theory Essay

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Lowenfeld's Stages Of Artistic Development

The artistic development theory that most pertains to the work I did with my student for this assignment is Lowenfeld's stages of artistic development. One of the things that was most interesting about applying this theory to the student I worked with is that she appeared to be between stages. Subsequently, my observations of her work, my interactions with her, and her expectations for her artistic prowess were different from any of the stages expressly identified by this theory. Nonetheless, by combining different aspects of two of those stages, I was able to influence this student's artistic expectations and understand exactly where she was in her process of artistic development.

Prior to explicating the relevance of Lowenfeld's stages of artistic development, it is necessary to provide some background information about the student with whom I worked. She is 11 years old, and is of both Jamaican and Hispanic descent. Additionally, she comes from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. This fact figures prominently in my analysis of her work and her conceptions about it, as well as about her thoughts about art and her ability as an artist in general. She is in the fifth grade, which is a critical factor because it indicates that she is nearing the completion of grammar school and subtly transitioning into the cognitive, physical and social realities of middle school. As such, she is a prepubescent, and ripe for art therapy which is partially designed for "the difficulties of adolescence" (Riley, 1999, p. 17). For the most part she was amiable and receptive to both myself and my work with her, which was a definite advantage in using her for this assignment. She does not appear to have endured any sort of "psychological trauma" (Herman, 1992, p. 7), although I am not necessarily qualified to make such assertions.

In order to successfully apply the aforementioned theoretical perspective to my student and her overall perception of art -- both hers and that of art in general -- it is necessary to provide an analysis of some of the more apropos aspects of that particular theory. The two stages in Lowenfeld's theory that are most germane for the student I work with include Dawning Realism and the Pseudorealistic Stage. The relevance of these two stages is partially attributed to the ages that they represent. Although there is some latitude in the ages that Lowenfeld assigned to his different stages, both of these are for 11-year-olds. In fact, the former is for children ages 9 to 11, whereas the latter is for children ages 11 to 13 years old. As such, the student with whom I worked has certainly reached the stage of Dawning Realism. This aspect of Lowenfeld's theory certainly applies to this student because it is characteristic of a growing self-awareness that is realized in terms of relationships (typically in the form of friendships) with others. This student's involvement with her peer groups near the end of elementary school is emblematic of this fact, as the proclivity to form and view social groups in terms of 'cliques' is prevalent. Perhaps one of the fundamental aspects of this stage that is that it "is the first time that the child becomes aware of a lack of ability to show objects the way they appear in the surrounding environment" (Lowenfeld, 1947, p. 39). In this respect, the child is aware of his or her limitations as an artist. Additionally, there are increasing levels of perspective, shading, coloring, and attention to detail that are characteristic of this stage.

The work of the student that I interacted with for this assignment can be contextualized via this particular stage in this theory in a couple of different ways. Nonetheless, it is important explain the various elements of the Pseudorealistic Stage that help to contextualize her artistic prowess as well. One of the most importance aspects of this stage is the perspective with which works are rendered. Specifically, there is a subjectivity found in that perspective and evinced within the work that is critical to a greater degree of realism in the child's creations. This fact correlates to one of the chief distinctions in this particular phase from the others. Previously, the child focused on the mere process of creating art. In this stage, the child is more focused on the end result of that process -- the product (Lowenfeld, 1947, p. 17). This stage is also characterized by a greater importance ascribed to color, and all of its subtleties.

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This same eminence assigned to subtlety is manifested in other aspects of the artistic process, including elements of shading, visual texture, and others.

In terms of contextualizing the process of working with my student as it relates to these two stages in Lowenfeld's theory, it is clear that she has not fully arrived at the Pseudorealistic Stage. There are general elements of sophistication that are characteristic of this stage that simply not found in her work. However, it is worth mentioning that there are definite facets of this characteristic that are found in her work as well as in my interaction with her. For instance, there is a definite texture evinced in the way that she colors that adds to landscape scenes depicting both waves or the sky. Similarly, she was willing to emphasize details and a degree of subtlety that is approaching the level required for this stage. However, the degree of subjectivity which is one of the primary traits of this stage is not evinced in this student's work. In fact, she mostly seemed heedless of this sort of subjectivity in the majority of my interactions with her. For the most part, she still views art in objective terms in which something is correct or incorrect, and is blissfully unaware of the element of interpreting events in pictures and how that can add disparate dimensions to a piece.

On the other hand, there are a number of different ways in which Lowenfeld's stage of Dawning Realism directly applies to my student. As a prepubescent, it is not uncommon for her to be heavily influenced by her friends and her peer groups. Like most people her age, my student has a natural affinity for technology and regularly keeps in contact with her friends via social media and the internet. One of the characteristics of this stage is that children tend to group themselves with friends of their own sex -- which is certainly true of this student. Some of our sessions would both begin and end with her referencing her friends and various points of interest (which involved them) throughout her day. The critical degree in which such a peer group views one another, then, certainly is evinced in how my student both views herself and her art. As mentioned earlier in this document, she is concerned with making artistic depictions that are as accurate as she can render subjects. She has said several things that make me think that she is doing this because she believes accurate portrayals are somehow innately correct -- whereas as those which are not are somehow wrong. This form of criticism, and of acting in such a way as to avoid criticism, is certainly indicative of the Dawning Reality stage that Lowenfeld championed.

In fact, I believe I have perceived more than a little frustration on the part of my student at not being able depict things more realistically in her artwork. It appears that there is a confluence of factors leading up to this discontent on her part. Part of that dissatisfaction appears to be a natural consequence of the Dawning Realism stage, in which "the child becomes aware of a lack of ability to show objects the way they appear in the surrounding environment" (Lowenfeld, 1947, p. 30). However, I also believe that there are socio-economic factors contributing to what is not a sense of despondency, but rather a sense of the impracticality of pursuing art in earnest for my student. She is not only a member of two historic minority groups, but of a third as well when one considers the fact that she is female. I am not convinced that she has very many role models that resemble herself in this regards. Granted, there are numerous peoples of African or Latino descent that are artists. Their rich legacy, however, is not always readily accessible in a hegemonic, Eurocentric culture that is willingly ready to marginalize other cultures that do not mesh with its own. Personally, I did not become aware of proficient artists from the cultural backgrounds that my student encompasses until much later in life -- when I was well past the prepubescent stage. I cannot assert that my student is receiving what some children receive, "messages about themselves of disapproval" (Derman-Sparks and Ramsey, 2006, p. 1). However, I am sure she is not receiving much encouragement to become an artist.

The relevance of these factors in relation to my.....

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