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| Viktor Lowenfeld (1903-1960) |
I learned of this approach from Viktor Lowenfeld, one of the most notorious promoters of art education of our time. He believed in art education as a formidable way to develop self-expression and creativity in a child from the earliest stages of life. I based my final research paper on his work, his findings and books. Notably influenced by the latest psychological researches on the field, Viktor Lowenfeld went on to develop his own approach to the child's developmental ages. I remember reading "Creative and Mental Growth" and realizing that as art teachers, our mission goes beyond creating fun, crafty artworks in the classroom. I learned that "labeling" a child as an artist in front of his peers could have a negative impact on the class and on the child as well. Based on Lowenfeld's ideas, this situation might jeopardize a child's individual self-expression as it may influence children into copying their classmates artwork, just to gain acceptance by the teacher and be also considered the "class' artist".
"Creative and Mental Growth" is a very deep, complex book. After going over it for so many times, I still believe I have only been able to barely "scratch its surface".
"In 1947 Creative and Mental Growth was published and became the single most influential textbook in art education during the latter half of the twentieth century, having gone through seven editions. This text was widely adopted in courses for prospective elementary school teachers throughout the United States, a time when teacher education programs were undergoing rapid expansion in response to the shortage of teachers that followed World War II. This book describes the characteristics of child art at each stage of development and prescribes appropriate types of art media and activities for each age. Its strong psychological orientation provides a scientific basis for creative expression and the practices that cultivate it." Quoted from here