Talent spotting

'Artistic' children can be divided into two camps: those who display immediate artistic talent and those who want to make art yet lack innate talent.

Why is it that only the children who display the former when they're young are encouraged to make art and the latter are not encouraged to make art? Could this be the reason why a lot of young children 'give up' in art lessons? Do they feel inhibited and prefer to leave art to their more 'talented' peers?

A lot of adults claim not to be artistic or creative yet when given the opportunity they admit to enjoying the process. As children Matisse and Van Gogh were unaware of their artistic talent and only started painting when they were in their 20's.

Viktor Lowenfeld (p. 54, 55.1965) advised the following for parents: 1. Regard your child’s art as a record of his or her personality. 2. Don’t put too much emphasis on the end product. 3. Display the work of all of your children – not just the one best at art. 4. Teach your child to respect the work of others. 5. Don’t correct wrong proportions. 6. Don’t encourage competitiveness in art. 7. Provide your child with an appropriate space for work, and suitable materials. 8. Send your child to art classes. 9. Don’t show children how to paint.

#artistic #children #talent #process