The Art of Childhood and Adolescence: The Construction of Meaning

by Matthews,John

• ISBN13: 9780750707664
• ISBN10: 0750707666
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781135710866
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-10-01
• Publisher: Routledge
• More Book Details

Summary

The Art of Childhood and Adolescenceis composed of completely new research on the development of representational thinking from infancy to adolescence through art. It will make an important contribution to the theory of children's development and to practitioners' understanding of children's drawings, as well as suggesting new paths of inquiry that will be of interest for many years. The book draws on highly detailed longitudinal studies, conducted over 24 years (20 in London and 4 in Singapore). New line drawings and photographs are used to illustrate important concepts. Matthews, highly respected internationally, also sheds light on current debates, such as the opposition of culturally specific and universal development in children the world over.

Table of Contents

Notes on the Figures	viii	(12)
Acknowledgments	xx
Chapter 1 Chaos and Order: The Genesis of Expressive and Representational Thought	1	(11)
Introduction	1	(2)
Discussion	3	(1)
Meaningless Actions or the Beginnings of Representational Thought?	4	(2)
Dynamical Systems: Order within Chaos	6	(6)
Chapter 2 The Four-dimensional Language of Infancy	12	(7)
Where Do Representational and Expressive Values Come From?	12	(2)
Perception of Shape	14	(1)
The Beginnings of Action Representation?	14	(1)
The Infant Moves Through Different Levels of Visual Structure	15	(1)
Expressive Play Between Caregiver and Infant	16	(1)
Conclusion	17	(2)
Chapter 3 Meaningful Marks: The Beginnings of Drawing	19	(12)
First Marks	21	(1)
First Generation Structure	21	(4)
Second Generation Structure	25	(2)
Third Generation Structure	27	(2)
Does Drawing Development Require Early Mark-making Practice?	29	(1)
Conclusion	29	(2)
Chapter 4 Actions and Shapes	31	(18)
Shape Representation and Action Representation	31	(1)
Emergent Writing	32	(1)
The Structure of Objects and the Structure of Events	33	(2)
Movement as a Continuous Line and as Discrete Displacements in Time and Space	35	(2)
Children Distinguish Between the Structure of Events and the Structure of Objects	37	(2)
Investigation of Structure	39	(2)
Shape Is Action, Action Is Shape	41	(1)
Tadpoles and Conventional Figures	42	(1)
Shape Defined By Patches; Shape Defined By Line	43	(4)
Conclusion	47	(2)
Chapter 5 Chaos and Order: Dynamical Systems in the Art of Young Children	49	(13)
Patterns of Action: Dynamical Systems	49	(3)
Experiences Constructed on the Drawing Surface	52	(1)
Continuous and Discontinuous Displacements in Time and Space	53	(2)
Closed Shape	55	(1)
The Discovery of the Inside	55	(1)
Right-angular Attachment and Core and Radial	56	(3)
Electronic Paint	59	(2)
Conclusion	61	(1)
Chapter 6 The Structure of Events and Objects	62	(22)
Ascending and Descending Through a Vertical Axis	62	(1)
Rising and Falling Arcs	63	(1)
U-shape on Baseline	64	(1)
Around and Around, Up, Over and Down	64	(3)
The Discovery of the Invisible	67	(2)
Two Axes or Two Views of an Object?	69	(4)
Foreshortened Disks	73	(4)
Movements Through Time and Space: Higher and Lower Relations, Going-through, Foreshortened Planes	77	(2)
Emergent Writing	79	(4)
Conclusion	83	(1)
Chapter 7 The View From Nowhere	84	(10)
Intellectual Realism and Visual Realism	84	(7)
Linda in Dungarees	91	(1)
Conclusion	92	(2)
Chapter 8 A Window on Consciousness	94	(17)
Reality Takes Shape: The World as a Construction Emerging on the Drawing Surface	94	(3)
The Deconstruction of Time	97	(4)
Structural and Denotational Variation	101	(8)
Different Types of Information	109	(1)
Conclusion	110	(1)
Chapter 9 Point of View: Visual Representation in Later Childhood	111	(31)
Movements in Space and Time: Depth and Distance	111	(6)
Interaction and Provision	117	(8)
Imaginary Views	125	(7)
Planes, Cubes, Cones, Hemispheres and Spheres	132	(4)
Spheres	136	(1)
Ellipses Disappearing and Reappearing	136	(4)
Conclusion	140	(2)
Chapter 10 The View from Room 26: Drawings of Adolescence	142	(13)
The View from Room 26	142	(10)
The Construction of the Viewer	152	(2)
Conclusion	154	(1)
Chapter 11 Representation and Human Freedom	155	(9)
Universality and Cultural Variation	156	(2)
How to Damage Your Child's Drawing Ability	158	(5)
Conclusion: The Ecology of Representation	163	(1)
References	164	(7)
Index	171