Grade 11/12 Art - Day 5

Grounding Drawing in Philosophy

In this lecture, we reviewed the work of Seymour Simmons III, an Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Winthrop University, and his paper, "Philosophical Dimensions of Drawing Instruction".


In much of what we have learned thus far, taken from the Thinking Through Drawing Symposium, we have been learning how important it is to rethink how drawing has been historically left to artists. We have been studying how drawing is essential to other disciplines from the sciences to musical notation. Simmons' paper further asserts how the symposium subverted "the belief that drawing has nothing to do with thinking, and that, indeed, one necessarily impedes the other" (Simmons).


It is important not to reduce drawing to a right or left-brain specific activity. Have a look at this advertisement from Mercedes Benz:





Drawing comes from both sides of the brain. It is not anti-intellectual. These many lectures and papers we are reviewing base their research in science, psychology, neurobiological research, and art education resources to show us that drawing allows us to "transfer knowledge and skills back and forth between disciplines" (Simmons).


Have a look at this drawing by Leonardo da Vinci:





Leonardo famously combined his ability as an artist, mathematician, and scholar to record and demonstrate his multidimensional thought processes. This approach was "emblematic of an educational and cultural climate in which drawing was considered of universal value and general utility, and so was taught to individuals of all level of society, ranging from artisans to nobility" (Simmons).

Curricular Connection (Grade 11) - Explain how da Vinci's work reflected the society and historical time period that it was created in?  In an age of enlightenment, explain how da Vinci might have been inspired the the Renaissance and in many ways exceeded the thoughts and beliefs of his time.

Curricular Connection (Grade 12) - What type of thinker are you?  How can understanding that artistic ability draws from both sides of the brain help you in considering a career in the arts?