✏️ Learning to draw like the Masters - working with "my" Kids on a Bargue Plate
As some of you might already know, I have this little "job" at our special needs school here in the town where I live. Their principal is a very committed and passionate lady and to a big part, because of her, the school has an excellent reputation. The kids are not mentally ill like some people think. Many of them are just lesser privileged than most around here. They often suffer with difficult family backgrounds and the wrong role models. It regularly breaks my heart, to hear their stories and so I'm on my own little mission to make a difference in their young lives...
In the past I had done small workshops and projects with them, but for two years now, I'm with my group of 10-12 young artists every Thursday afternoon. I teach them the fundamentals of drawing and painting and I always try to involve them in art projects in our town. I want them to feel like artists and every now and then we even meet at my wife's cafe for a kind of "round table"...
Back in 2015 we had a really great success, when my little colleagues interpreted the paintings of professional artists who had a show here in Viechtach. It was a major event with 70 professional female artists from around the world and my kids were one of the major attractions at the opening. They took position at the entrance with their versions of the artwork in the exhibition on signs they had built and on their T-shirts...
Every effort is made to protect the kids identities, so I can only post this somewhat cryptic photo to give a vague idea of what it looked like. Later in the evening, my students went to stand by the artwork they had chosen and the exhibiting artists who had come for the opening were really touched.
Originally, we started with themes I thought would fit the world of a child and so one time we built a "phantastic tree".
Photo taken from a similar project in a different school
Each child painted a leaf and put whatever they thought would live on there. Eventually one of the girls, she was about 9 at the time asked me, if she could draw chains on her leaf. Since the question came from a girl, I thought she meant necklaces or bracelets, which in German would be the same word. When I looked at her work a little later, it turned out, that she was covering the whole sheet with chain links... There was always one of their regular teachers present and she took me to the side, to tell me the girls story. Her mother is borderline and the kid had taken her role at home. She did all the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and took care of her siblings. She was 9 at the time for Christs sake!!
So, I tried to figure out, why she was drawing only chain links in such a firm pattern... she really couldn't tell and so I tried to think of something else for her. In the end, it did turn out, that there was something, she really really enjoyed. She had a few stuffed animal toys and looked at them as her friends and treasures and finally I got her to draw them on her phantastic leaf. And she made them all in bright pink and orange!
Just one of many heartbreaking stories and I'm struggling, keeping my cool to even write about it. I still have the girl in my group. She is 14 now, and as terrible as it is, her life didn't get easier. With all her emotional problems, I think she has immense talent and often surprises me with her very own ideas for her artworks. I really hope she stands a chance... and like I said, she's only one, and they all have their stories.
Sometimes I wonder if I could get enough support, to get at least a few of them to an academy. A couple of years ago, a new one opened just north of Frankfurt and they teach the methods of the 19th century. So far, in Europe you could study like that only in Florence, Stockholm and London. OK... St. Petersburg too, but there would definitely be a major language barrier.
A couple of years ago, I joined a workshop at that Academy of Fine Art Germany and it was incredible. We used the so called "Bargue Plates" and by super accurately copying them, you really train your eye.
Of course, I tried that approach with my young colleagues at the school here too.
As a simple first step, we did a measuring exercise. Of course no ruler allowed...
All you do, is drawing a straight line on your sheet of paper. Then measure with nothing else but your eye to find the exact middle and mark it with your pencil:
Then you check how accurate you are with a compass. Pin the needle in one end of the line and draw a curve through your mark. Pin the needle in the other end of the line and draw with the same radius you just used.
If your curves don't meet, you have to practice a little more. Do that with lines of different length and angles...
I have to admit, that it was almost a little funny, but also truly endearing to watch my aspiring little masters struggling to get it right and control that compass with their chubby little hands. Melts my heart just thinking about them!
Anyways, that done, we were off to the big challenge. When my kids get a precise task, where they are told exactly what to do, nothing scares them. They were quite eager to master their first Bargue drawing. Actually, it was me, who had the difficult part. To chose something interesting enough to keep their attention, but still simple enough, that they could do it.
picture taken from "C.BargueDrawingCourse" on archive.org
Well, in the end it was really too difficult. But they all found it interesting to work at an easel and learn how to measure with a thin stick, to achieve a high level of accuracy. It did improve their skills though and they were proud that they learned something non of their friends had ever heard of. I was impressed with what passion and dedication they worked and they had every reason to be proud of what they achieved.
So... if you really got to this point, you see that this is quite different from my usual posts. But this "work" has become a very important and rewarding aspect of my life. I don't normally publish anything about it, as it is, like I said important to protect the privacy of these children. Their lives are difficult enough. But a recent post by @everlove inspired me to write a bit about this.
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I can see your heart and good spirit in your artwork. I think one of the reasons I was so drawn into your imagery was it seemed to tell of the maker's open mind and giving quality and it sure appears that is the truth.
What an amazing and noble thing you are doing. I think art and expression is just what children need, but children in such dire situations or with so much adult responsibility, what a wonderful chance for them to take themselves out of the world they are currently forced to be living in.
I saw one commentor below begin to suggest how you should or should not do this or that, but in all honesty, you are a giving person and your very act of being open to these children is already a boon to their lives. To even be asked what they love or how they would like to express what they care about does open up a new world to them; one that might not come to them right now, but when they are older, they will recall it and it will be a little window of hope in their dark moments.
Keep up your good works and I am proud to know you as an artist and as a human being. Well done sir.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I don't think I am doing anything special. I was just incredibly lucky to have really really good parents I want to share some of that feeling with others less fortunate.
You know, its funny that you talk about asking the kids about what they love or enjoy. I do that regularly and they usually can't think of anything right away. Quite different of when you ask them what they hate! One of the most shocking I found, that they could not tell a wish, when I asked them. I mean ask any teenage kid you know, if there is anything they want or they'd like to have... These children here are like... pfffft... "I'm not gonna have it anyways, so why waste a single thought on it" ....!!!! We spent a long time on that issue, because I think one should in fact have some wishes, as they give you direction and might get you going. Depending on the wish of course. Now, the average teenager here would want the newest iphone, certain clothes, trips to exotic places, you name it... I have a 13 year old who wants to get her life in order. Children longing for a happy family, friendship and love! One boy, he has Asperger syndrome dreams of being a bus driver!
In some ways I feel bad for the current young generation in most places because they are such a controlled class of people. And when you ask what their 'wish' is the fact that they will most say the same wish simply tells you that that little box they stare into all day and text on is a little mind control device telling them what their wishes, hopes and dreams should be and they almost always involve things that are expensive and just a bit out of reach.
I wish sometimes more simple attainable wishes would be uppermost in the mind of the young, which I am sure it is for some, but I do honestly feel like it's a very controlled generation and in our country they are coming of age in a time when they cannot afford housing, there are very few jobs and education in our country is ridiculously overpriced and yet they are all sold loans larger than the price of homes to go to university.
Oh well, we can't change the world I suppose. Maybe it's one of the reasons we artists are lucky we get to paint a new world and get lost in it :)
I do think you are doing good work with these kids, so keep it up!
That's a very important work you're doing. I think you give a lot to the children on their way, even if they don't become artists later. The love of free expression and the knowledge you teach them will have a lasting impact on them. You can be very sure of that.
All adults who show an interest in children's lives and have patience and enthusiasm for them make a difference. I remember my own art teacher at school. He was one of the Birkenstock era and taught us a lot. I learned batiks and linoleum cuts and much more from him. We sold our finished works at the school bazaar and I remember how proud I was that a batik Pierot (my favourite motif at that time) sold for twenty marks.
... But I have a sensitive question: If you feel sorry for the children and their circumstances or find that they work too much at home or on the farm, can it happen that you convey their parents' lifestyle as inferior? ... My question is about their identity. When children who are already doing adult work feel that this is being condemned, they begin to reject their parents. But since every child wants to feel that their parents' home is right, it is important that what they have to do there is appreciated from adults outside their homes. Even if this does not fit into the concept of life of a modern community.
I feel strongly reminded of my parents, who were self-sufficient throughout their lives and thought as much about art as perhaps a forest goblin of figure skating. ... Though my mother always decorated all her letters with flowers she painted herself and was probably not aware that she was artistically inclined.
The rejection of the parental home from the environment (teacher, educator) transports itself from the children into the parental home. The parents feel that the children bring this influence as negative and tragically this often leads to the parents refusing their permission to let the child participate in something else that they do not know and where they feel stupid and uneducated.
Which is not to say that a nine-year-old should have so much responsibility. But as far as the circumstances cannot be changed, one could ask the girl what she is most proud of in terms of family duties and perhaps express this in a work of art?
I hope you forgive me this somewhat critical attitude. I know you're working from your heart.
<3
Sorry for my late reply, was on the road for two days... quick trip to Zetel, to deliver the artworks for a complete show (Magical Dreams IV) travelling through Germany and Poland. I know, I know... pretty close to Hamburg. I waved!! But we were really under pressure to make it back and forth in that time.
As for your..ahm.. sensitive Question.. (making serious face).. not to worry. I generally don't look at other people or their lifestyle as inferior. I come from humble backgrounds and am a very small fish myself. If I despise any lifestyle at all, its people who have everything except brains and manners.
With my kids its actually more of the opposite. I always try to inspire them to see the good in their lives. The relationships with their parents are often difficult enough. Most of them live in structures you can hardly call family. They are sent from one parent to the other, grandpa, aunt... I'm sure you've heard it all too. Thing is, I have seen some of these parents all of a sudden become proud of their daughter or son with things we accomplish. When we are part of a bigger art project and create public attention. You can see, how they are amazed, that their child is no longer one of "the stupid ones", but special, with an outstanding ability...
I could write a novel about this, but bottom line is that I try to make them feel comfortable with who they are and where they come from. And then see their potential and discover new options. More than once I had a parent approach me and ask... do you think my son/daughter could do that too? So you see, you really need to start there.. make these people have confidence in their kids!!
The family with the farm are a difficult case. Of course, they got no sense for art, because nobody showed them. On the other hand, the girl and her sister had to see a psychologist, because they never laugh or even smile.. ok, the one does now in my class 🤩 I never would say anything like.. your parents are bad, because.. bla bla... If anything I'd say, "do you think we can find a way" or "do you think we could talk to your parents.." So, its supposed to be a "miteinander" (together). Not so easy, when some of the other kids look at their relatives as bums and drunks. I try to explain to my kids, that these people where children too with wishes and dreams, but never had a chance or nobody showed them how to make better decisions... Thing is, if you respect people and give them their dignity, that goes a long way. I understand, that you won't turn a life of drug and alcohol abuse around like that... but when they are young, I think it helps, to show them alternatives. Even there you can apply what Buckminster Fuller said: you don't bring a bad system (or situation) down by force or by fighting it. You have to create a new system, that makes the existing one obsolete!
The situation of the girl who had to do the household duties as a nine year old went from bad to worse. I don't want to get into all the details, but it tears my heart out to see how messed up she is at 14. Of course I don't show it and treat her like any other "normal" teenager, even a bit... how should I say... provocative? You know, I act like I'm not tolerating her behavior and such, although secretly I am. I'm worried sick, that in two three years she falls for some abusive older guy or starts doing drugs and stuff... and that is why I find it so important, that someone speaking their language shows them a way...
You have a very useful mission, Reinhard. I am sure that each of these children who goes to your classes receives psychological help as a result of drawing. After all, this is art therapy. The story of the 9 year old girl who painted the chain shocked me. I do not even know what to say. I want to believe that she and all the children will be fine in the future.
In Russia, all higher and secondary educational institutions teach academic painting. I'm surprised Europe has so few places where the methods of the 19th century are taught.
I so hope they all will make the right decisions and have good lives. I think the most important is to show them, that they too have opportunities... even if it might be more difficult for them.
Well... ahm.. isn't half of Russia part of Europe? At least geographically I thought... Well, some people here just think skill in art isn't cool, I guess :-/
Yes, of course, half of Russia is geographically Europe. You take someone at word :) I live in St. Petersburg, but I never believed that I live in Europe ...
Hahaha.. well, I think that also counts for people living in England ;-)
I do wish, Europe would finally come together as one. I have several Russian friends and there seems to be a deep connection and longing for each other. Unfortunately those in power throughout history had different plans...
St. Petersburg is one of the places I really do want to see some day!
My German school teacher married a German woman and left to live in Germany. I communicate with him a little and learn about life in Germany. So you are right about the deep connections and aspirations.
(I'm sorry that I'm talking to you in bad English. I learned German a long time ago)
St. Petersburg is a beautiful city, I love it. I am pleased to hear that you would like to visit it :)
Chapeau! ❤
Last Thursday was a holiday here... I miss my class already again ;-)
Thanks for sharing this inspiring story sir. I can relate a little to your curves made by a compass. If it is not accurately made it will not meet eàch curves. Ive Got a lesson learned.
Thank you. The compass is only to measure. You have to find the exact middle of the line first and then check.
Thank you sir for the great learnings. We greatly appreciated!
I believe we all should do similar things to give what we have learned to the next generation, you have real enthusiasm in the writing of your experience Reinhard!
If they had to choose the art teacher for them to receive an excellent art education, you would be the best choice! I'm very happy for you mate, this sounds so rewarding, for both you and them.
Who knows, there may be some very famous artists in the making, thanks to you!
If you knew these kids, you'd be just as enthusiastic! They challenge me and educate me probably more than I teach them. I so wish to make a difference for them. Yes, wouldn't it be great if a famous artist was on the way there?
The two best ones just "won" a day in my studio. The one girl was super excited and devastated at the same time when I told her. She thought working in my studio would be a dream come true, but thing is... her parents are farmers and she has to work and help every free moment. Just imagine, a teenage girl, having to feed the animals and clean up before she goes to school and when she is back home it starts again... she was desperate, since she thought her parents wouldn't give her permission to "waste time on art". Thank god, the principal of the school will help :-)
That is tragic in its own way at least to any of us who truly understand the importance of art. The farm will go on but the future will not re-settle itself.
So true!
Yes, heart wrenching stories, I'm sure! Isn't it strange how the teacher is the one who gains the most from the experience? We could all learn a lesson here mate!
I know how it is at age fourteen, to have to go out and work after school and then take care of brothers when home and tired. It does make a certain impression on a person, the teacher who cares is a great help! Not only in school.
You really have huge heart @reinhard-schmid.
Haha... therefore my soul is a deep black abyss!
It's great. I would like to become a 71 woman artist who takes part in your event.
In the art school where my daughter studies, there is also such a tree with children's works. But they are made on thin sheets of clay and are turned into ceramics. These handicrafts ringing, creating a wonderful art-wind music.
Thanks for sharing your inspirable article sir! Nice story telling. Its really informative and really touches someones heart.
Thank you for reading it :-)
Much welcome sir. God bless you.
great explanation.
thanks for it.
Thank you!