Art history is an inherent part of learning about arts to kids. It is not only teaching children the techniques that artists use, but also telling them inspiring stories. We recommend reading the short summaries of the stories to your kid in order to test his or her curiosity. When it goes successful, you may draw some of the paintings together. There is the whole iceberg of hidden talents in your child.

1. Pablo Picasso for kids – “Dove of Peace”

The story of Picasso is, in fact, a story of a hardworking rebel that believed in his mission. Growing up in an artistic family, he had attended art school in Barcelona and Madrid. Though after some time Picasso realized that classical art is not his niche, he did not want to paint as people used to do for years; he had something new to bring. Therefore, Pablo started experimenting with the styles: cubism, neoclassicism and surrealism are reflected in his works. As a result, the new vision was accepted by a broad audience with joy: fine art, as any other movement, needs development. Picasso is a discoverer and enthusiast that engendered a large part of a base for modern art.

On the picture below, we can see a white pigeon that has become the symbol of peace; Picasso has drawn “Dove of Peace” in 1949, after the numerous wars he lived through.

2. Georgia O’Keefe for kids – “Red Poppy”

As most of the world-famous artists of all times, Georgia realized her passion for painting at an early age. As a child, she was independent and spent a lot of time in nature by herself, looking for inspiring motives. After high school she took a place in Chicago institute of art, a very respectful establishment. Nevertheless, financial obstacles made her quit the education, the family could not afford it anymore. As a true warrior, she did not give up, continuing studying in a more affordable academy; nowadays, she is ranked as “The Mother of American Modernism”. Her example teaches that everything is possible when the desire is big enough and you constantly practice.

She acquired fame for the painting of numerous paintings of enlarged flowers. We presented “Red Poppy” for your child to observe it, paying attention to the shades of red. How many are there?

3. Henri Matisse for kids – cut-outs “Icarus”

Being a son of a drugstore owner, Henri was expected to continue family business. Despite the expectations, he undertook law. Only when working as a professional lawyer he first tried a painting class. It turned his world upside down. His way started; he was drawing for the whole year with no pause, getting own vision through practice. Favism and Impressionism prevail in Matisse’s artworks. He is devoted to bright colours and lines full of tension. It is a truly attractive feature in drawing for kids.

The artwork “Icarus” is a star of Tate’s museum exhibition that can be repeated by your child (possibly with minimal parent's help) easily. Only scissors, colour paper and glue are needed!

The stories we told you in this post are diverse when there are much more to explore. Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and other wonderful artists deserve your child’s attention the same way. As we said in the beginning, there is a wide range of hidden talents inside a young investigator. Kiddy School’s goal is to stimulate enclosure of your kid’s talents. The greatest reward for us are content students that know what their true passions are. We are here to provide tools and guidance to build Skills for developing passion into strong Ability.

If you feel that visual art is the subject that interests your child, do not hesitate to try the free trial lesson on fine art. We also offer a possibility to try painting a moose together with our teacher at the workshop on January 28th. To book the spot, go on this page.

In case your kid is more into sciences than arts, we strongly recommend trying the fun math games. Time spent at home can be very entertaining and our activities are to remind your kid about it.
For more information about the school please visit our program page.