APPLICATION OF COLLAGE IN INTERPRETING VAN GOGH'S "SUNFLOWERS" - CREATIVE PRACTICES WITH PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Sunflowers are certainly one of the first associations that arise at the very mention of the name of the
Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. These flowers occupy an essential part of his creative work and hence, have become
the subject of numerous studies by art critics, scientists, psychologists, etc. This publication aims to present the
results of a study conducted among preschool children, asked to interpret Van Gogh’s famous work "Sunflowers" by
using the collage technique, as a basis for the development of their creativity. The research also uses the results of
another creative project of mine, in which students from educational studies had to create a collage based on a work
of fine art. The analysis of that project, as argued in my previous publications, showed clearly that Van Gogh's
Sunflowers had been the most common choice made by the students, who also thought, that picture was suitable to
be recreated with the collage technique by children. The present study confirms this statement to a very large extend,
and in spite of the demonstrated differences, gave a fruitful ground for subsequent analysis, which can be used as
essential guidelines for methodical work in teaching fine art, and more specifically the collage technique. The
innovative approach is related to the juxtaposition of two different trends in fine art: post-impressionism and cubism.
Using it, allows on the one hand, children to learn much more about a certain work of art, such as the means of
expression used, the respective genre, the artist's style, as well as curious lots of facts related to the picture. On the
other hand, interpreting it not with the means of painting, but with the technique of collage, allows children to come
up with amazing solutions, due to the given free choice, playful atmosphere, the rights to experiment, and the liberty
to use their creativity. The summary of the results of this experiment shows that both groups of children, involved in
the experiment, came up with creative solutions during the completion of this assignment. And more importantly,
that the collage-making methodology can be used successfully during the implementation of similar creative tasks
which involve other works of art.