ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM: ACTION PAINTING

            As Educators, we all know that learning does not end with formal schooling, nor does creativity end with childhood. At IJP, art is used as a forum for true exploration and expression of the inner self, to encourage each child's natural creativity and curiosity.  Inspired from the creativity manifest in our Kitah Bet activities, I’ve (Yael) developed an interest in learning and reading more about art, starting with its different styles throughout history. Gravitating towards the Abstract style the most, I was intrigued with the action paintings of artists like Jackson Pollack, as well its emphasis on utilizing art as a way of personal emotional expression. I loved his paintings and thought that this was a kind of art our Kitah Bet students could do and appreciate.

 It's okay if we paint the paper too!

 Lily likes to sing and paint at the same time. 

            After winter break, we started working on decorating blank picture frames that we had in our classroom. The type of abstract expressionism we did is called action painting, a type of painting that focuses around the hand movements and the actual process of making the art. Each child was able to choose whichever color he or she wanted and spontaneously splashed and dripped paint all over the frames. Not only did the splatter painting beautify our picture frames, but the children noticed a whole ‘nother, bigger piece of art which was being created along with them: the paper underneath the frames! The big white sheet of paper that we put underneath the frames as a back splash had now become a beautiful piece of art in its own right. After the paint dried the next day, we decided to practice cutting with scissors and cut the sheet into different shapes and designs with our new “training” scissors.

Lev thinks the backsplash looks cool!

Elliot is painting with orange, like his shirt!

 Asher and Erez are sharing the green while Adom splashes with blue.

 Orli slowly drips and splatters the yellow and blue paint.

 Mina generally paints with two hands. 

            There are no rules when it comes to art and creative expression, a fact which seems to be intuitive to children, as is seen from their uniquely expressive and abstract drawings, and is something that is highly encouraged here at school. What looks like a scribble to us can represent anything to the artist and knows no bounds. Our students’ art is showcased around our classroom, accompanied with a short description from the child. One child’s paper with circles on it is her new baby brother, while another’s colorful scribbles represent his brother taking a nap. Our Kitah Bet students are natural born abstract expressionists, their art filled with endless possibilities and lots of self-expression.