Being Savvy: Our Ten Favorite Artists to Introduce to Preschoolers

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May 2008

Theme: “Life is Art; Art is Life”

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Our Ten Favorite Artists to Introduce to Preschoolers

Tue
6
2008
Tuesday is List Day here at Being Savvy. Not a dreaded to-do list though. A fun list, a what-if list, a brainstorming, inspiring, let's-try-something-new kind of list.

Thinking about art in the lives of our little ones this week, we asked ourselves: if we were to make a list of the ten best artists to introduce to our preschoolers, who would be on it? Which artists would capture our little ones' imaginations, make them curious, inspire them, make them laugh, puzzle, wonder?

Here it is -- biased, we readily admit, by our own idiosyncratic tastes. But a list has to start somewhere, right?
  • Raphael - For sheer beauty, for his gorgeous Madonnas, and especially for his Lady with a Unicorn and his St. George and the Dragon.
  • Paul Cezanne - For his still lives. Do you have a bowl of fruit in your kitchen? Would your little artist like to make a painting of it? (p.s. See the Metropolitan Museum of Art's wonderful online presentation for children, Cezanne's Astonishing Apples.)
  • Edgar Degas - For his beautiful dancers. What little ballerina wouldn't fall in love? (Don't miss another of the Met's fantastic online tools for kids: The Dancers and Degas.)
  • Mary Cassat - Because she painted ordinary mothers and children. A child waking from a nap, for instance, or having a drink of water. Cassat thought these moments were worth representing -- no one agrees more than we do.
  • Henri Matisse - For showing us how amazing cutouts and collage can be. And for his colors. And so much more.
  • Marc Chagall - Because he painted dreams, and people flying, and even a birthday party.
  • Amedeo Modigliani - For his strange, abstracted portraits, including some of children. Which might inspire a bit of portraiture from our small ones.
  • Georgia O'Keefe - For the way she looked at the natural world, and especially flowers. Really looked at them -- just as our little ones do if we let them.
  • Alexander Calder - Because his mobiles and his circus sculptures are sure to enchant any kid (be sure to watch the film of Calder operating "Cirque Calder"). See what you can make with a little wire!
  • Jeff Koons - For his giant puppy made of flowering plants. What preschooler wouldn't love that?

What do you think of our list? And tell us, what artists do your preschoolers like best?

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Comments

I could not read the link for bedtime board books from the first poster, since part of it is obscured, however, I think she may be referring to the Touch the Art series. These board books are great for introducing even a 2 year old to fine art since they are very touch-oriented. Brush Mona Lisa's Hair, for instance, which is one of the books in the series, allows kids to literally brush Mona Lisa's hair while introducing them to a world-famous painting. They can indulge in more hair styling with Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, among others.

chrispix said:

There's a great series of bedtime board books with poems and classic art images, published by Chronicle books. We have almost all of them, and my kids love them:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,search-result/?main_page=pubs_advanced_search_result&store=books&store_type=books&search_in_description=0&keyword=merberg

cenap said:

You've got Raphael, but what about Donatello, Michaelangelo and Leonardo!

I love to show my kids the paintings of Grandma Moses. We make up stories about what is happening in the beautiful towns that she painted.


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