The reformation of twentieth century art education was fueled by art theorists that strived to bring order and a systematic way to categorizing art. According to Stankiewcz’s (2001) article We Aim at Order and Hope for Beauty, “Theory-building in early twentieth-century art education ranged from the mystical systems . . . to the psychologically based, scientific principles” (p.101). During this time, the art education curriculum moved to a model that focused on the creation of both design and color theories. The reformation focused on “a top-down model of change, taken for granted in Western societies, supported cultural reproduction, conservation taste, and elite attempts to control mass aesthetics (p. 101). According to Stankiewicz’s Roots of Art Education Practice, the Elements of Art and Principles of Design came to the forefront of Art Education in the “early twentieth century when a few theorists began to analyze visual forms and develop rules for order and beauty that influenced school art” (2001, p. 86). Art educators and theorists such as: Arthur Wesley Dow, Denman Waldo Ross, and Albert H. Munsell are known for developing their theories and publishing works on the classification of both design and color. Each of their scholarly work and publications played an integral role in making theoretical classification and artistic order a global phenomenon and immortalizing the art movement.
The art movement was unknowingly fueled by Arthur Wesley Dow. Dow’s studies and experience of teaching art led him to develop a theory of art structure. According to Stankiewicz (2001), Dow described his art structural approach “as a structural on, a process of building up harmony fundamental to all arts” (p. 94). Dow believed in providing his students with facts to assists in the making, appreciation, and categorization of art. As the Director of College Art Association, Dow attempted to develop an art education that was accessible to both adolescents and adults. Through his career, Arthur Wesley Dow was avid in his role as an influencer of progressive art theories and structure through his many article publications. Dow’s most notable publications were his books: Composition and Theory and Practice of Teaching Art in the early twentieth century.
Denman Waldo Ross was an art educator that developed his theory of art and design through his experiences travelling around the world, and involvement as an art educator at Harvard University. Whilst at Harvard, Ross taught theory of design at Harvard and published three books: A Theory of Pure Design, On Drawing and Painting, and The Painters Palette. According to Stankiewcz (2001), Ross “argued that anything done by humans has two elements: a motive based on the needs and goals of life and performance” (p. 94). Through his philosophies, Ross developed an aesthetic theory that was grounded in a series of distinctions and classifications to bring order to art. Ross believed that “because design was work faultlessly done, all persons with a ceaseless and insatiable love of order could make art part of their life. Technique must go hand in hand with fine impulses” (Stankiewcz, 2001, p. 95).
Albert H. Munsell was a long-time art educator that was known for patenting his photometer for measuring color and developing a color sphere. According to Stankiewcz (2001), the photometer in which Munsell developed was a “system for naming colors in terms of five major hues‑red, yellow, green, blue, and purple—a range of nine values between white and black, and varying steps of chroma or intensity” (p. 100). At the time, Munsell felt that art deserved to have the same classification and sense of order that music internationally received. Munsell developed a system in which the color could visually be classified. “Munsell’s [color-classifying] system was not a two-dimensional color wheel but a color sphere or, more accurately, a color tree on which some branches (hues) had a greater extension (chroma) than others” (Stankiewcz, 2001, p. 100). Art educators internationally appreciated the sense of order, and harmonies attributes that Munsell brought to the art realm through Munsell’s published works of A Color Notation and Atlas of Color.
Personal Reflection The readings from this week both changed and enhanced my understanding of the role of art education. The twentieth century marked the change in art education through both the modern and progressive reformations where art education curriculum moved found a sense of order through the categorized distinctions and classifications made by art theorists such as: Arthur Wesley Dow, Denman Waldo Ross, and Albert H. Munsell.
I am one that prefers a sense of order within my classroom. I believe just as the 20th century theorists that art deserved to have a richer understanding and classification—similarly to that of music. However, I believe that there is a happy medium between creating order and student exploration. I believe that the tools that these art theorists, and educators had created helps build understanding, confidence, and awareness within both the art classroom and art curriculum. Often, people look at the art classroom as one similarly looks at a magician—in complete and utter surprise. Even presently, there are some colleagues of mine that do not understand or believe that art has an order, a purpose, and role to play in the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of our students.
I believe that we as educators must fine the balance between educating our students about both the Elements of Art and Principles of Design and providing our students exploratory art experiences.
References
Stankiewicz, M. A. (2001). We Aim at Order and Hope for Beauty. In M. A. Stankiewicz, Roots of art education practice (pp. 85-103). Worcester, MA: Davis Publications.
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