". . . great national collections are a sign of the decadence of modern times. If art were alive, pictures would be in our houses, churches, and public buildings. The art sense is a birthright of all, which the race cannot afford to lose, yet we are passing through an inartistic phase. Artistic interest is mixed with antiquarian interest, and few dare controvert the accepted standard of taste. The collections have been made representative, and not educative. A knowledge of the history of art is confused with a knowledge of art, whereas the latter is hindered by bookish study." PNEU article
When teaching our children to look at and appreciate fine art, I caution mothers to be careful in their choices. Just because a particular painting is popular today, does not mean it is worthy of our attention. I appreciate Charlotte Mason’s definition of a true work of art:
“Art is great only in proportion to the greatness of the idea that it expresses; while what we ask of the execution, the technique, is that it shall be adequate to the inspiring idea.”
I teach my children the three main ingredients necessary for great art:
It must be a thing of beauty
It must require great skill
It must express a worthy idea
There are only so many artists that we will have time to explore. In light of this, we have chosen to focus our picture study only on artists that meet these timeless standards. During the high school years, we delve more deeply into the artists’ worldviews and examine the more controversial art forms of modern art, but in the early years, our goal is to develop a keen eye for beauty, one that appreciates a true work of art.
