Running head: A LANGUAGE WITHOUT WORDS 1

Utilizing Art as A Language Without Words

Brittany Chassaniol

University of Missouri
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A Language Without Words

With the limited language capabilities of elementary students, children often struggle to

convey their point through language. Art offers students a means of expressing their feelings

without relying on words that may miss their point, serving as a language itself. Through art,

children have the opportunity to communicate with each other and adults around them. In the

following investigation, a childs artwork is analyzed to note the features that help it bridge the

gap between adult and child language skills. This art contains features that portray emotions,

thoughts and imagination without saying a word. This aspect is vital to allow children to connect

with their emotional selves and begin to accurately depict the world around them. Further, the

art can be a representation of the emotional and intellectual maturity of the child, growing each

year. In the specific piece of art to be examined, the child conveys early aspects of grandeur and

flow of color, lending itself to interpretation into the mind of the child.

Method

For this study, I collected a piece of art from a female first-grade student, who we shall

call Grace. When I worked with Grace, it was at her home while babysitting and not in a school

environment. While babysitting Grace, I asked her to think of one of her favorite memories and

to draw it. I collected paper and colored markers for her to use. Grace then thought for several

minutes and began drawing. I left Grace alone in the room to allow her to draw and think

without distraction. I told Grace that she could take as long as she wanted to draw her picture.

After twenty minutes of reflection and drawing, Grace informed me that she had finished her

drawing. I then collected Graces drawing from her, complimented her on her work and thanked

her for her participation. Then, Grace went to play with her brothers. After a break for Grace,

we met back together and talked about her drawing. I asked Grace simple questions at first, such
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as what the drawing was, to which she responded, The first time I got to see the beach! It was

really hot and the water was big. Later, I moved to more deep questions, asking her how the

drawing made her feel and why she drew the waves so large and the tents so small. Analysis of

those answers follows in the next section.

Findings

At first glance, Graces drawing appears as a three-layered picture defined by a tan base,

blue middle and deep purple top. Other than red shapes scattered throughout the tan layer, each

layer is mostly monochromatic. Further investigation reveals that the drawing is that of a beach,

with the sand composing the large tan layer. Scattered throughout are what appear to be

umbrella-shaped tents of varying sizes, showing the childs attempt at depicting depth. Grace

said, I didnt draw people cause Im not good at them. While there is room for improvement

with detail, she took a step in the right direction by drawing tents, showing maturation through
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artistic stages. Further support for her should focus on building her confidence and helping her

experiment with drawing human and animal figures. Next, the middle layer is a dark blue color

with triangle-shaped peaks that represent waves breaking over in the ocean. The peaks are tall

and sharp. When I asked Grace why she drew the waves so much bigger than the tents, she

replied, It was really big waves and I had not seen the beach before. I thought they were going

to wash me away. Seeing as she was a small child in her first visit to the beach, I interpret this

to mean that she may have been intimidated by the size of the waves that seemed to tower over

her small frame. Also, she seemed to be so consumed by the size of the waves that she seemed

to forget about the tents, which are much less significant in the drawing. Above the blue water is

the top purple layer that is the sky background. By the dark purple color, the picture must

represent the transition from sunset to dusk.

When analyzing this drawing, my first observation was the immense size of the peaks of

waves in comparison to the rest of the drawing. The peaks, looking almost like a tsunami, tower

above the beach sand. In reality, these waves could not have been this massive; yet, they likely

represent the feelings of a small child seeing crashing waves. Eisner (2002) lent support to this

fact by claiming, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail. Rules would have

said that a wave cannot be drawn that large, but Graces feeling of smallness compared to the

wave prevailed. Evidence in the painting also indicates that Grace is in the schematic stage of

artistic development. Cited by Brittain and Lowenfield (1970), Graces painting showed

establishment of a base line on which objects are placed and often a sky line, no or little

overlapping and two dimensional organization of objects. Her skyline is a distinction between

the blue waves and purple sky. There is little overlapping, as three distinct layers exist. The

tents on the beach of the drawing are two dimensional with little spatial representation.
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In his 1997 book, Bob Steel describes further qualifications that can be applied to Graces

drawing being in the schematic stage. In it, Steel (1997) mentions additional qualities indicative

of maturation into the schematic stage, saying At this stage, children will be developing skills

important for art, science and mathematics, including trial and error, patterns, shapes, numbers

and interpretation. Examples of attempts at shapes can be seen in the sharp wave peaks and

umbrella tents on the sounds. In these, there are regular patterns of waves in the ocean. Also,

with one large tent exception, all tents are of similar size with relatively similar spacing between

them. These skills are also important as they are cross-disciplinary, appearing in subjects like

mathematics as well. These elements show that for a seven year-old student, Grace shows

qualities of being at the later stages of the schematic stage, but has not begun to cross into the

gang-age of artistic development.

Conclusion

Upon analyzing Graces artwork, I am optimistic for her ability to continue to grow

through her developmental stages. Graces use of multiple base lines and attempts at shapes and

patterns show maturation through the schematic stage and promise for continued growth as a

seven year-old. Now, it is vital to foster that growth. According to Erickson and Young (1995),

many students will plateau at the schematic stage if not properly motivated to progress towards

realism. This statement is supported by their study comparing the shocking similarities between

elementary students in the schematic stage and college-aged adults with no formal art education.

I can facilitate this growth in the classroom by encouraging students to draw feelings on readings

or memories rather than writing on paper. As a teacher, this will benefit me by being able to

make better critical connections rather than surface level teaching. Since art encourages

expression of feelings and reasoning, this will allow me to design lessons that are student led,
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rather than me giving students specific instructions that stifle creativity and critical thinking. By

not investigating the usefulness of art in the classroom, I would risk the failure of not activating

the different types of learning students possess and not tapping into creative potential within each

child. Ultimately, I hope that these practices will lead to students who are better problem

solvers, critical thinkers and more active participants in the classroom.

Even though I am confident in Graces placement in the schematic stage, this study has

limits. For one, I am basing judgment on just one drawing. Other drawings by Grace could

contain different aspects that that suggest she is less or more artistically developed. Also,

Graces drawing contains few elements of detailed art, such as people, animals or objects other

than the tents. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain her skill level in these areas. Nonetheless,

Grace shows promise for a first grade student. With improvements such as analyzing multiple

drawings as well as analyzing drawings over the course of a year for Grace, the results of this

study would be improved and her development would be clearer.

With the knowledge gained, it is important to encourage artistic growth inside and

outside the art classrooms. Artistic thinking can lead to improvements in other subjects, such as

critical thinking, and will lead to well-rounded students. Content area teachers should embrace

art in the classroom and allow it as an option for assignments and projects as an alternative to

writing. Not all students will enjoy art to the same level. But, all students can benefit from

growing artistically, learning a new way to bridge the often large language gaps between adults

and young children.

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References

Brittain, W.L. & V. Lowenfield. (1970) Creative and Mental Growth. (pp.474-479). New York,

NY. MacMillan Co.

Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind. What the Arts Teach and How it Shows.

(pp. 70-92). Yale University Press.

Erickson, M. & B. Young. (1995) What Every Art Educator Should (but maybe doesnt) Know.

Worchester, MA: Davis Publishing

Steele, B. (2003). Draw me a story: an illustrated exploration of drawing-as-language.

Winnipeg: Peguis.