Sources of Artistic Inspiration

The Innate Quest for Order and Design

Detail

of a Painting

painted in 1963
partially cropped

What does it mean?

What are other Sources of Inspiration to create art?

How does this compare to the
Three Sources of Subject Matter for art?

Click above links or scroll down for the answers

What does it mean?

The above painting by a 3 year old male in 1963 is an example of how the innately felt quest for order expresses itself in a spontaneous painting done in a very deliberate style. Children often refer to these compositions as "designs". These paintings are not intended to be narrative, as most children's art is.

This child spent about 45 minutes of concentrated effort in order to produce this orderly composition. What does this say about the habits of concentration and focus that can be developed at a young age when children are provided a calm environment, support, and materials with which to work?

Laura Chapman* lists several approaches to creating art under which she lists several sources of inspiration for artwork. In addition to expressing Ordinary Experience, observing the Natural and Constructed Environment, and expressing Inner Feelings and Imagination: Chapman lists the Quest for Order as one of major sources of artistic inspiration.

Four Sources of Inspiration for Creating Art

Ordinary Experience

Natural and Constructed Environment

Inner Feelings and Imagination

Quest for Order

Knowing these lists helps us keep children on task and involved in meaningful learning activity.
Knowing these lists allows us to give variety and balance to our planned art activities for children. We can help inspire children to follow their natural inclinations.

Three Sources of
Subject Matter
for Art are:

Observation

Memory

Imagination

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Implications:

If we want children to naturally develop their ability to focus on a task over an extended period of time, we need to provide a calm and secure environment together with materials and places so that gratifying self-fulfilling productive experiences can occur. Some of these experiences can be under the complete control and ownership of the child (with appropriate adult supervision and supportive comments). Painting, modeling clay, and drawing are excellent ways to provide this. How better to foster intellectual and creative problem solving, self-motivation, attention span, and those important brain synapses during the formative years?

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This design illustrates the design qualities of repetition, of pattern, and variation on a theme . Subtle color changes fin the reds and blues add variety and interest to the composition while maintaining order and structure. It is strongly unified by similarities of different parts. The viewer's eye is led about the design by variations in color in each row. The dominate structural line points back and forth creating vectors leading the eye right, then left, then right. Finally, the upper left corner with its pre literal graphic elements insist on being seen.

The child sent this postcard to her grandparents. It has a note on the other side (dictated to her mother who wrote it for her, and may have prompted her a bit). It reads, "I hope you're doing well. I would like to go to your house some week. Thank you for the Barbie and clothes." The art work gives the child a means to express her gratitude and give emphasis to her wishes. She is learning the values of her family and her culture. Furthermore, the child is learning the importance of her own status and how she has some control over her own life.

Postscript:
The child who painted the tempera painting at the top of this page has grown up to earn a PH.D. and become a widely published research scientist. He is now a parent himself and their children love to paint, model clay, and draw. The post card design here is the work of his daughter, at age 4. None of this proves the value of painting as a developmental activity for the young child. However, these kind of art activities combined with other favorable nurturing experiences and a reasonably good genetic heritage certainly seem to be very beneficial.

Working with art materials at a young age is very rewarding and motivating. It provides the brain many appropriate and engaging challenges during an age when it is not yet able to deal with more abstract mathematical and verbal constructs. The brain at this age is malleable and going through phenomenal growth and development. It is extremely helpful for the child to get positive reinforcement for self initiated learning activities. Self-designed art projects can provide positive self-image and self-confidence feedback that results in continued self-challenging problem making and problem solving.

- Marvin Bartel, 199

Essay on Art Classroom Rituals

*SOURCE - A discussion of our Quest for Order as motivation for art is found in the book by Laura Chapman. Appraches to Art in Education.

Marvin Bartel Home Top of page

Art Education Bibliography

Art for Children Syllabus

Art for Children Content page

Secondary School Art Syllabus

Goshen College Art Department

Goshen College Art Gallery

For permission to make copies or handouts, e-mail the author

Updated January, 2000