Draw with Picasso

The backpage of Ana Salvador's Draw with Picasso (2008) starts by quoting Picasso: “When I was young I could draw like Raphael, but it has taken me my whole life to learn to draw like a child”

Looks promising. But wait, there’s more:

“Now you can learn from the master himself. Step by step, line by line we show you how to recreate some of Picasso’s most famous motifs. Through copying and then improvising for yourself, this book will help you see and appreciate Picasso’s drawings and inspire you to try out many more of your own.” (Salvador, 2008)

Although, it is impossible to know exactly what Picasso meant when he uttered those immortal words, it is simply implausible that he was endorsing the paint by numbers approach to art making advocated by Ana Salvador.

A reasonable interpretation of Picasso’s quote is that he was critical of the master-apprentice approach to art instruction (and would therefore be horrified at a book that suggested recreating his artworks as a basis for developing artistic skill).

Picasso stated that he could draw like Raphael when he was young. At the time that Picasso was developing as an artist, the standard method of instruction dictated that he develop his technique by copying the masters that came before him.

Head of a Muse, Raphael

“In arts education, historically, the Academy dictated the curriculum, and a more traditional model of the mater-apprentice pedagogy prevailed. Apprentices learned from their masters, copying and producing works for the master and then eventually becoming masters of the discipline themselves.” (McArdle, 2003, pg 39)

This ‘Academy’ pedagogical approach to art instruction valued technique over creativity, form over content. Students were instructed to revere and replicate the work of men who had been dead for hundreds of years.

From the point of view of a student, that particular pedagogy seems rather defeating to me. I can’t imagine being told that plagiary is the road to proficiency.

Virgin and Child Studies, by Raphael, pen over traces of red chalk in the center, 10 x 7 1/4. Collection British Museum, London, England.

On the other hand, I am virtually devoid of artistic skill in part because when I went to school, a laissez-faire approach to art education was the mode du jour. In the early years, art was more of a fun activity where my classmates and I would get the chance to do whatever we wanted with the materials provided. Upper primary art class consisted of a series of open ended projects but no instruction on technique was ever delivered.

I don’t recall ever being taught about the elements of drawing. I never learned about perspective. In fact, I find that the biggest obstacle I encounter in developing drawing and painting techniques is that I don’t really know how to see the subjet of my artwork.

I have never experienced the feeling of competence in the visual arts. As a result, I have denied myself the chance to express myself and further develop my creativity by drawing, painting or sculpting. Moreover, I have missed out on developing ways of seeing through the arts that enhance the experience of the everyday.

When I started drawing a few weeks ago, primarily as a means to fulfill a course requirement, I had no idea how this opportunity would result in a gradual unfolding of the beauty around me. I started to study the world more closely so that I could reproduce it in my artwork. A close examination of a clove of garlic revealed the most alluring texture and delicate hues of violet. I even started to appreciate scenes that I previously wrote off as ugly and unappealing. The gross factory on my way to school evolved into an elegant example of line and symmetry.

Although my early arts education failed to provide me with the opportunities to see the world as I am only starting to now, I don’t think that copying the works of others or learning to draw like Raphael or Picasso would have facilitated this kind of appreciation either. I would have learned to look for inspiration in the work of others instead of the outside world. I would not have to closely examine the world around me to discover how to represent it artistically because the answers would be found in the work of others.

With this in mind, I set out to discover a way of teaching arts that equips students with techniques and strategies to achieve artistically while providing opportunities for experimentation and creativity. As of now, I don’t know how to negotiate these two outcomes but I doubt that I’ll be designing lesson plans around Ana Salvador’s Draw with Picasso.