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About the discussion on "children's artworks? or not" by Jad Salman
To me, the best thing is to compare the two paintings done in Picasso's studio (see: Action in Picasso's Atelier 2009 - the story of 2 murals). All is contained in the important formal differences. The one done by children is like a clear source flowing directly from the children's heart, mind and fingers. So simple and significant!
The other has a great level of organisation and composition. It is much, much more elaborated. The process of more and more elaborations is the educational process.
That takes a long time and long training to bring a young child into a man’s world within an extremely elaborated mind.
But the fact is that during this process, often many things become so complicated that the source is lost, forgotten.
Let us remember that to achieve great poetry, art (so did Mister Picasso-"I had to forgot all I learned") mystical experiences and great wisdom is required. All around the world and time men and women had to train and work hard to find and reach again the spring, the origin.
And the great simplicity.
In front of that simplicity of childhood in the painting, often, adults are disappointed. Even, some develop simpering tenderness or light sensation of selfish superiority.
In a child's design, as in a Chan's master painting, simplicity is full of emptiness.
That emptiness disappoints. In such a design or a painting that emptiness is, generally speaking, emptiness: from where all comes from, and to which all will return to – nothing: it is less than life and death while life itself is a process.
If we leave children all over the world express themselves only until that point, to which we are willing to take the risk to see in their painting simple and true emotions: fear, joy, friendship, sadness, love- simple relationships - as mirrors of our heart. Friends: pets, birds, flowers - boys and girls alone, together in that big space of the painting.
We do take the risk to learn from them who are deep inside.
A child' painting is quite a pure expression rather than Art.
It's why it seems important to keep Kids Guernica children's painting out of artistic and aesthetic evaluations or judgements.
Paintings by adults and professionals of Kids’ Guernica follows and has another purpose.
Paris 2009
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