Kathe Kollwitz:The Prisoners, 1908.

Courtesy GalerieSt. Etienne, New York.

CREDIT: © 2005Artists Rights Society

(ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.

B Y A L I C E A R N O L D

When art, music, and poetry are integrated into the art room,children can confront difficult themes in works of art andprocess the information in highly personal ways (Jewitt &

Kress, 2003). An arts classroom gives children the time and place toconfront images of war and violence and decode the multiple levelsof meaning (Arnold, 1997) found within them.

The third, fourth, aiid fiftli-gradestudents in my tuiiversity preservice"after-school-art" class looked at severalnarrative works by Francisco Goya,Kathe Kollwitz, F^ank (iaylord, II, andPablo Picasso, and discussed the storiesand imagery in each. The larger theme of"narratives in art" framed the semester-long art class, but the more specifictheme of "aggression, \iolence, and war"was chosen for this lesson. Each sttidentinterpreted tlie many themes found m theartworks within the context of theirpersonal lives. They put themselves in theplace of the figtires in the stoty. How-would the man in front of the firing squadfeel in Goya's laige-scale painting TlieShootings of Mai) lliird lHO^^ Mow mighltlie soldiers that comprise the firing squad

feel? Can you put yourself in the shoes ofthe victims in this scene? Tlie childrenmade mixed media collages in which theydepicted themselves in a similar story,and wrole about their artworks. The boldpower I found in the students' collagework led me to believe that tbe images ofwar served as catalysts for the students'expressions of empathy. Tlie experiencewas a time of discovery and a time toconfront the multiple realities of theirlives.

A desire to protect children from theharsh realities of life may cause teachersto avoid showing children art that hasdifficult imagery. Yet, a strong andpowerful underetanding of tbe humanconilition can be gleaned from the presen-tation of the array of subjects found in

artworks—with an array of emotionalexpression (Broudy, 1972). The feeling ofpeople being crowded in Kollwitz's TheFrisoners is very different from theexplosive energy in Goya's Tiw Shootingsof May Third 1808. And the mood ofisolation aiuong the larger-than-lifesoldiers in Gaylord's Korean WarMemorial is also very different from thedepiction of the chaotic aftermath of warseen in Picasso's Gtiendca. Those artistshad personal encounters with war andwere able to share their hatred of war andits effect on human lives with a verygraphic slyle.

Exploring Questions-Without-Answers through the Arts

Among the recumng questions in thechildren's dialogue were: What emotioasdoes the scene evoke? What do you feelwhen you view this work? Can youempathize with tho figures in the work?Have you had a time of fear or teiTor inyour own life that mirrored theseemotions? When did you have a feeling ofisolation that could bo compared to the

A R T E D U C A T I O N / J U L Y 2 0 0 5

Confronting Violencethrough the Arts:A Thematic Approachisolation seen in Kollwitz's The Prisoners'!Can we tell who is more powerful andwho has lost power in each image? Arethere important figures that fall outside ofour viewing frame? What does freedommean when you aio a prisoner? Theteacher and students raised criticalquestions (Giroux, 1988) in rapid-firesuccession. Every voice was heaid, yet noset answere were given, only speculationand debate. The students gave onesohition and tben another as they becameinvolved with the deeper meanings ofeach work.

The artists' names and the titles of ttioworks bec;mie secondary to the moreimpoitant information of why the works

were made and what they were about.What relationship did Kollwitz have towar? Did the fact tliat her son was killedin war in 1914 and her grandson in 1942fuel her energy to create art? Wliatfeelings was she able to portray in thecrowded space of llie Prisoners'? Whatpolitical messages was Goya deliveringin his large-scale painting. The Sfioolingsof May lltird 18081 Ai'e Goya'smonochrome etchings, The Disastersof War, more or less meaningful than hispanoramic view using color? Wliy? Inorder to allow for the diversity ofviewpoints found in the classroom, thestudents answered these questions forthemselves.

The fact that Guernica was made as areaction to an unexpected act of war wasimportant information. We discoveredthat the work was a protest—an angryresponse to a seemingly senseless crime."This huge (ompositioii, inspired by thoSpanish Civil War, expresses in compli-cated iconography and personal symbohclanguage... the aitist's abborrence of tbeviolence and beastliness of war" (Munay& Murray, 1987). Tho creation of the workwas also a way for Picasso lo chaimei hisfeeling and emotions about the war.

Tho studonts' discussion and explana-tions became a way for them to makesense of these large and complexpaintings. Careful analysis of the detailand comploxity in tho paintings provokedideas and many questions (Broudy, 1987).What conditions of life would the soldiersdepicted in the Korean W<ir Memorialshare? Are they all young soldiers? Whathuman conditions frame the lives of thofallen victims in Picasso's Guernica? Canwe now see women, men, and children asvictims in Picasso's depiction? Picassoan<l Goya were both documenting whatfor them were neodloss and brutal events.The theme of violence took on greatermeanings after the class exploration.

The ShoQtir)gs of May Third 1808 byFrancisco de Goya. Oil on canvas, 268 x 347 cm,1814. Madr id , Museo Nacional del Prado.

JULY 2005 / ART EDUCATION

Korean War Memorial, National Mall,Washington, DC, by Frank Gaylord, 11.Photographs by Michael T. Kelly.

The arts can createthe time, the support,and the permissionto reflect on difficultevents of the world.

This follaboralivp viewing process,where each answer was respected andconsiciered, ^ave the children lime to peelaway the multiple themes related to wai"and reveal greater realities about war: theti'agedy, sorrow, loss, aiifl despair. Forexample, the students' collages revealedthat a personal awareness of thoaftermath of war was a reality for eachI liid. The discussion seemed to de bunkhe glorified piclure of triumph and

• uToisni so often found in the popular: I ledia (Daspit & Weaver, 1999).

Multimodal Arts ExplorationsAlter viewing and discusshig reiinxluc-

iions of the works, the children experi-mented with heavy t ollage materials—twisting and t earing paper (Figures 1-10).One student used heavy string to ci'eate afuse for his bombs (see Figure 1). Anotherdrew expressively with white chalk tocreale the smoke from a fire (see Figure2). A boy tore and pasted brown construc-tion paper to depict only the huge holeleft in the earth after the bomb wasdropped (see Figure 3). Another studentshowed the strewn bodies of the victimson the ground (see Figure 4). Eachstudent moved back and forih betweenthe expressive modalities of speech,drawing aJid pasting, gesture andmovement, and writing with great fluency(Pahl, 2003).

Re-creating the GuernicaTheme with Personal Stories

After finishing her artwork, Katiewrote, "This is a scene from when a warwas going on. The horse is scared andtrying to mn away. Tlie people are thrownthrough the air with the pressure of abomb"' (Figure 4). Ajina wrote: "An eyecrying, mad at war and its hatred. Thedreaded bomb, lighted and tailing. ApeiTion enguUed in flames. A heart(happiness) broken by the bombs. Aboutanger and sadness. Skull—death" (seeFigure 5). David simply wrote. "Crater ofthe niglit after bombs hit" (see Figure 3).The children's ai1 and writing shows agreat degree of personal identificationwith the chaotic aftermath of war.

Jake combined several storylines in herwritten work. She wTote, "My ail is abouta ship getting a sun»rise vvTeck in themiddle of the night by their enemy. Theface in the comer is a person who isremembering this because he survived.1 think this is a veiy sad piece of art. A lotof holes got into the ship so the shipdrowned" (Figure6).

Aesthetic ConfrontationsThe cMldieii seemed to pull inspii'ation

from many realms of their world—fromthe ariwork as well as from their"everyday aesthetic" (Duncum, 1999). Forexample, several students pulled fromtelevision programs and films. In additionto images from the paintings theyexplored as a group, the students recalledother powerful images from their pasts.Jake remembered the movie Titanic, andwove the story into her image of tragedy.There was a level of authenticity in theimages that revealed that most of theyoung artists had placed themselves atthe center of the blast, just as Pic-asso hadin Giieni ica. One boy re-created a scenefrom many days after the war. He v\Tote,"Mine is a picture of a person seeing anewspaper about a bombing" (see Figure7). He seemed to be more comfortableremaining aJoof from the events.

Viewing the artworks allowed nuancedmeanings for the students in the class—each held a different bias, and a differentattitude toward fear, anger, danger,hatred, w ar, violence, and death. The art

A R T E D U C A T I O N / J U L Y 2 0 0 5

room can be a place of differences anddebate as well as shared hopes for thefuture. Picasso's masterinece, Giieni /cti,has served as a point of departure formany artists and educators over thedecades. The size aiid richness of thei( unography, will\ its layered meanings,can be viewed in myriad ways (Wilson,Hurwitz, & Wilson, 1987). Discussingfeelings about art can be both instnictiveand cathaitic. Speculation about thereasons for bombing the sleeping town ofGuernica and discussion of the potentialaftennalh of such an event gives childrenthe opportunity to examine their greatestfears ai\d question the basic nature of war(Giroux, 1988,2000).

Examining BeliefsCliildren are continually exposed to

traumatic events througli the media.Listeiung to the radio, watching TV, orreading the headlines in the dailynewspaper' can feel like a daily mediaassault. TVagic graphic scenes from allover the world ai e imported each nightinto the living rooms, family rotmis, andkitchens of our students'homes. Images;ire too often presented in rapid-firesuccession with very little time forprocessing or reflection. Children canbecome bewildered and depressed whenasked to underetand events that aredevelopnientally beyond theiryears(Elkind,2001).

In the art chissroom on the otlier hand,children have time to confront importantthemes. The process of viewing, listening,discussing, and then creating, allows thechild to place intbmiation in a contextthat makes it more understandable(Bruner, 1977). The arts can create thetime, the support, and the pennission toreflect on difficult events of the world.The process can help children overcomefeelings of powerlessness that a mediaban age of negative messages creates.

The artistic process can create a safeplace for children to address long-heldbeliefs and prejudices. Looking atartworks tiiat depict aspects of war isfundamentally different from absorbingthe brutal images found in the popularmedia. Tlie gore of the day-to-dayviolence seen in the news media is

Figure 1. Student collagesafter discussion of ar tworks.

Figure 5.

Figure 6

JULY 2005 / ART EDUCATIO

Figure 7,

Figure 8.

Art can also serve to motivatebetter writing skills, as itgenerates imagery for the childto describe in paragraph form.Ideas become more specificand powerful when artmakingand writing are coupled.

specific aii(i very different from the moreuniversal humjui emotions depici edwithin an exeniplaiy painting, print, orscnlplure (Morris, 1998). Discussion ofart with serious themes can encourage anew analysis and understanding andmove the theme to a more abstract anduniversal level.

The Prisoners, The Shootings of MayTftird 1808, the Korean War Memorial,and G'uern ica are quite different fromeach otlier and run through a range ofexpression, from betrayal and desolationto terror. They examine human qualitiesand condit ions that nuuiy children havenot experienced first-hand. The exposurecan be highly instructive—expandingtiieir frames of reference. These imagescall for an examination of the essentialnature of war: power, aggression, chaos,and loss. They call for a discussion ofbeliefs about the culturally popularmyths that glorify war and creale thedichotomies of good-guys/bad-guys, andhero/victim (Giroux, 2000).

Wliat kind of understandings will an artlesson on war evoke? Might these newunderstandings develop a strongerknowledge base from which to makemi\ior life decisions? Could the oldnarrow pai'adigm of war-hero be replacettwith a broader more sober one?

Multimodal LearningWith rime aiul practice, children

become better at expressing themselvesin myriad ways. Children's art becomesmore detailed and sophisticated as theymature (Amheim, 1974), yet manychildren feel most comfortable with thetime-honored method of using words to

give ex{)ression to ideas. Those withfewer linguistic skills may jjrefer themedium of the dance, the play, the song,or the visual arts to give voice to theirideas (McGuire, 1984).

Listening to the musical compositionGuernica, by Leonardo Balada, before orduring the visual art process givesstudents another avenue for under-standing the sense of chaos and confusionthat Picasso was trying to convey.Through the peaks and valleys of thissymphonic piece a listener can sense theimpending doom and visualize ihebombing raid.

The poem "On Death, withoutExaggeration" by Wislawa Szyniborska(Szymborska, I98G) could be read aloudbefore the art-making process to arousegreater depth of understanding about warand its destruction—its aftennath ofdealh. Each child could be given a copyof the entire poem and asked to look forimages that seem important or moving tothem, or an exceq^t from the poem couldbe written on the boaid for discussion.

Oh, it has its triumphs,but look at its countless defeats,missed blows,and repeat attempts!

Sometimes it isn't strong enoughto swat a fly from the air.Many are Ihe caterpillarsthat have outcrawled it.{Szymborska, 1986)

When several sensory and expressivemodalities (visual, auditory, oral andkinesthetic) are combined in a lesson, thepotential for perceptual understajiding andexpression is enhanced (Arnold, 1997).

(Continued on p. -'i-'?)

A R T E D U C A T I O N / J U L Y 2 0 0 5

Confronting Violence through the Arts continued from page 24

Music can c reate a mood or an aurall)ac'kground for the visual art process.Writing rm\ focus I he nonlinear thoughtex[)resse(l in a work of art iuid extend themeaning to a more concrete level. Art canalso serve to motivate better writingskills, as il generates imagery for the childto describe in paragraph form. Ideasbecome more specific and powerful whenartmaking and writing are coupled. Vaguenotions become more concrele as Ihenanative is extended and refined (Harste,et al., 191)6). Tlie creative process canliecome another avenue for the child tolelell. reinteritret, and redefine themultiple Ihemes of war, in a visual andverb;ii vocabulary that children canunderstand (Coles, 1989).

Conclusion(Ireat works of art are often complex,

abstract, and difficult to understand.Kollwitz's Tlic Prisoners, Goya's The

I^icasso's Guernica are highly personalstatements of highly emotional events.Vet, works like these, which have seriousIhemes, can become sources for artisticand written expression and help childrenconfront their worst fears.

Children need the opportunity to giveexpression to life events that are tragic orsenseless to them. They need time andpennission to rofiect in meaningful waysoi\ events over whicli they have no

control. The artistic process can providesuch an avenue.

On Death, without Exagj^eration

It can't take a joke,find a star, make a bridge.It knows nothing ahout weaving,mining, fanning,building shii>s. or baking cakes.

In our planning for tomorrow,it has the final word,which is always beside the point.

It can't even get the things donethat are part of its trade:dig a grave,make a coffm,clean up after itself.

Preoccupied with killing,it does the job awkwardly,without system or skill.As though each of us were its firstkm.Oh, it has its triumphs,but look at its countless defeats,missed blows,and repeat attempts!

Sometimes it isn't strong enoughto swat a fiy from the air.Many are the caterpillarsthat have outcrawled it.

All those bulbs, pods,tentacles, fins, tracheae,nuptial plumage, and winter furshow that it has fallen behindwith its halfhearted work.

Figures 9 and 10.

Ill will won't helpand even our lending a hand withwars and coups d'etatis so far not enough.

Hearts beat inside eggs.Babies' skeletons grow.Seeds, hard at work, sprout their firsttiny pair of leavesand sometimes even taJI trees fallaway.

Whoever claims that it's omnipotentis himself living proofthat it's not.

There's no lifethat couldn't be immortalif only for a moment.

Deathalways arrives by tbat very momenttoo late.

In vain it tugs at the knobof the invisible door.As far as you've comecan't be undone.

By Wislawa Szyiiihorska, from"The People on tlie Bridge," 198G.

Translated byS. Bar'anczak Si C. Cavanagh

Alice Arnold is Associate I*)vfessorof AH Education, East CawlinaUniversilij, Greenville, North Carolina.E-mail: anioldni(& II iail.eca.edu

J U L Y 2 0 0 5 / A R T E D U C A T I O

R E F E R E N C E SAmheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception:

A psychology of ihe creative eye. Berkeley,University of Califomia Press.

Arnold, A. ( U)i-I7). Slories and art: Crealingmultiple levels of meaning. School Arts.

Broudy, H. S. (1EI72). Enligklerifd cherisking:An essay on aesthetic education.ChaiHpaign-lTrbaiia, IL: University ofIllinois Press.

Broudy, H. S. (1987). Tlie role of imagery inlearning. Los Angeles: The Getty Centerfor Education in the Arts.

Bnmer, J. S. (1977). Th.e proeess of education.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Coles, R. (1989). The call of stories: Teach ingand the moral iinaifuiulUin. Boston:Houghton Miffliri.

Daspit. T. & Weaver. J. A. (19iH)). Populareulture and critical pedagogy: Reading,constmcting, connecting. NewYork:Garl;uui Publi.shing.

Duncum, P. (U)99). A case for an art educationof everyday aesthetic experiences. Studiesin Art Education. 40[i). 295-311.

Elkind, D. (2001). Tkehvmed child: Growingup loofnsl too soon. Cambridge, MA:Perseus Publications.

Giroux. H. A. (lf)88). Teachers as intellectuais:Toward a critical pedagogy of learning.Grajiby MA: Bergiii & Garvey Publishers.

Giroux, H. A. (2000). Stealing innocence:Youth, corf>orate power, and politicalculture. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Harste,.!. C, Short, K. G., Burke, C, et al.(199G). Creating classrooms for authorsand. inquims. Portsmouth, NH:Heuiemann.

Jewitt, C. & Kress, J. (Eds.). (2003).Multimodaf literacy. New York: Peter LangPublishing.

McGuirc, G, N, (1984). How arts instructionaffet ts reading and language: Tlieory andresearch. Ttie Reading Teachft; ST,

Moms, D. (1998). Figuring and disfiguring:Joyce Carol Oates on boxing and thepaint ings of George Bellows. Mosaic(Winnipeg)..'i7(4). l;i.5(l).

Murray, R. & Murray, L. (1987). The penguin(lielionary of art and artisln.Hanuondsworth: England: Penguin Books.

Pahl, K. (2003). Children's text-making athome: Transforming meaning acrossmodes, in C. Jewitt & J. Kress (Eds.),Miiltimodal literaey (pp.KtJ)-154). NewYork: Peter Lang Publishing.

Szymborska, W. (1980), Otficial Web Site ofThe Nobol Foundation. "Poems by WislawaSzymborska," The Nobel Prize in Literature1996, June 16. 2000, last modified,http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1996/index.html

Wilson, B., Hurwitz. A., & Wilson, M. (1987).Teaehingdratvingfrom art. Worcester,MA: Davis Publications.

E N D N O T E'.-Ml coiuments by students were taken fromtheir personal writings about the works theycreated.

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