Lowenfeld's Stages of Artistic Development: A Case Study

Introduction and Student Background

The artistic development theory that most pertains to the work I did with my student for this assignment is Lowenfeld's stages of artistic development. One of the most interesting aspects of applying this theory to the student I worked with is that she appeared to be between stages. Consequently, my observations of her work, my interactions with her, and her expectations for her own artistic prowess did not align neatly with any single stage explicitly identified by the theory. Nonetheless, by combining different aspects of two stages, I was able to understand exactly where she was in her process of artistic development and shape my approach accordingly.

Prior to explaining the relevance of Lowenfeld's stages, it is necessary to provide some background information about the student. She is 11 years old and is of both Jamaican and Hispanic descent. Additionally, she comes from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background — a fact that figures prominently in my analysis of her work, her conceptions about it, and her thoughts about art and her abilities as an artist in general. She is in the fifth grade, which is a critical factor because it indicates that she is nearing the completion of elementary school and beginning to transition into the cognitive, physical, and social realities of middle school. As a prepubescent student, she is at an age well-suited to art therapy, which is partially designed for "the difficulties of adolescence" (Riley, 1999, p. 17). For the most part she was amiable and receptive to both myself and to the work we did together, which was a definite advantage. She does not appear to have endured any sort of "psychological trauma" (Herman, 1992, p. 7), although I am not necessarily qualified to make such assertions.

Lowenfeld's Relevant Stages: An Overview

In order to successfully apply this theoretical perspective to my student and her overall perception of art — both her own work and art in general — it is necessary to analyze the most relevant aspects of Lowenfeld's theory. The two stages most germane to the student I worked with are the Dawning Realism stage and the Pseudorealistic Stage. The relevance of these two stages is partly attributed to the ages they represent. Although there is some latitude in the age ranges Lowenfeld assigned to his stages, both of these encompass 11-year-olds: the former applies to children ages 9 to 11, and the latter to children ages 11 to 13. As such, my student has certainly reached the stage of Dawning Realism.

This stage of Dawning Realism is characterized by a growing self-awareness realized through relationships — typically friendships — with others. My student's involvement with her peer groups near the end of elementary school is emblematic of this, as the tendency to form and view social groups in terms of cliques is prevalent. Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of this stage is that "it is the first time that the child becomes aware of a lack of ability to show objects the way they appear in the surrounding environment" (Lowenfeld, 1947, p. 39). In this respect, the child becomes aware of her own limitations as an artist. Additionally, increasing levels of perspective, shading, coloring, and attention to detail are characteristic of this stage.

The Pseudorealistic Stage, which follows, is distinguished primarily by the perspective with which works are rendered. Specifically, a subjectivity emerges within that perspective and is critical to achieving a greater degree of realism in the child's creations. One of the chief distinctions of this phase from earlier ones is that the child shifts focus from the mere process of creating art to the end result — the product (Lowenfeld, 1947, p. 17). This stage is also characterized by a greater importance ascribed to color in all its subtleties, as well as increased attention to shading, visual texture, and other nuanced elements of the artistic process.

The Pseudorealistic Stage and This Student's Work

It is clear that my student has not fully arrived at the Pseudorealistic Stage. General elements of sophistication characteristic of this stage are not consistently present in her work. However, certain facets of this stage are discernible in both her work and my interactions with her. For instance, there is a definite texture evident in the way she colors that adds dimension to landscape scenes depicting waves or the sky. Similarly, she was willing to emphasize details and a degree of subtlety approaching the level required for this stage.

However, the degree of subjectivity — one of the primary traits of the Pseudorealistic Stage — is not evident in her work. In fact, she mostly seemed unaware of this kind of subjectivity throughout the majority of our interactions. For the most part, she still views art in objective terms in which something is either correct or incorrect. She remains largely unaware of the interpretive dimension of pictures and how that dimension can add disparate meaning to a piece.

References

Blos, P. (1962). On adolescence: A psychoanalytic interpretation. New York: The Free Press.

Derman-Sparks, P. G., & Ramsey, J. (2006). What if all the kids are white? Anti-bias multicultural education with young children and families. New York: Teachers College Press.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery. New York: Basic Books.

Hurwitz, A., & Day, M. (1995). Children and their art. New York: Harcourt Brace.

Kramer, E. (1993). Art as therapy with children. Chicago: Magnolia Street.

Lowenfeld, V. (1947). Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan.

Riley, S. (1999). Contemporary art therapy with adolescents. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Tatum, B. (2003). Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? New York: Basic Books.