Artistic Evolution II

So it's official. Sonwun has entered the system. He is now colouring inside the lines . . . or at least he's making the attempt. Or is he?

Throughout his art career, he has never been one to follow in the footsteps of others. He's a trailblazer. He makes his own lines and then promptly colours through them. He cuts paper with scissors not, as society demands, to create realistic representations. No, he cuts with wild abandon and then, and only then, decides what he has created.

"The Beaver"

But it all seems to be changing. Yesterday, he came home with three objets d'art. The first two made my heart stop. The most horrifying piece was "The Beaver." With construction paper as the mileu, Sonwun had correctly assembled, and glued, the pre-cut pieces. The eyes, the ears, the nose and the teeth were all present, relatively symmetrical and, worst of all, there was not an abundance of glue. It was clear that another hand was at work in this piece. My faith was mildly restored, however, when I noted Sonwun had chosen two different eye colours for his beaver. The artist was alive, but clearly on life support!

"Color these things that are purple"

The second work "Color (WHY ARE WE USING AMERICAN SPELLING?????) these things that are purple," opened a window to the mind-controlling, art-killing techniques of preschool. It was clear that Sonwun had been asked to monochromatically decorate five objects; grapes, a flower, a skirt, a dinosaur and, I'm gonna say a plum.

And it was clear that he'd been pressured to stay within the lines. Sure, there were some feeble efforts at self-expression as he snuck outside the societal norms with his purple crayon, but it was clear that he was losing the battle. And to make matters worse, there was a "Making Progress" sticker at the top. A reward, if you will, for following suit, for falling in line, for taking orders and executing them to meet another person's world view.

But the final and most telling work, "Teddy Bear," renewed my hope and my faith that Sonwun had not entirely caved. To the uneducated critic, it looks like a standard preschool teddy bear art project. The bear, again assembled from pre-cut construction paper shapes, is mounted on a brown paper plate. Almost all of the elements are in their anatomically correct locations. But I see the subtleties, the rebellion and the free spirit that marked Sonwun's earlier works in dot-to-dotism and scribblism. The artist is alive!!

"Teddy Bear"

Now some might dismiss the fact that the bear has 12 eyes as mere motor skill issues, poor marker control. But they would be wrong. I know that Sonwun is crying out through his art. He's saying that he's watching. He's aware of all that is going on around him. He knows what they're trying to do and, in his own subtle way, making them believe they're succeeding.

And then there's the ears. I note that only one has the requisite pink piece of construction paper glued in the middle. Again, the uneducated critic would say "poor glue technique . . . we'll work on that."

But I know what's really being said here. Sonwun is saying that, yes, I'm hearing you. But I'm not listening. I am aware of what you want from this piece, but you need to know that I will do it my way.

And finally, the most telling element in this objet d'art. The reverse paw. Once again, the uneducated will tell you that it was merely an oversight. The artist didn't recognize that the end with the little thumb needed to go on the outside, not on the shoulder. See? He got it "right" on the other side. It's just a technical glitch.

What the critic fails to note, and this is critical, is that Sonwun chose the left arm to invert. The little paw is not, as most would observe, glued to the shoulder. The tiny paw is actually covering the teddy bear's heart. It is Sonwun's final volley in the war to maintain his artistic freedom.

He's saying, you may force me to use your pre-cut, pre-concieved tools for my art, but you will never destroy my artist's heart. Your attempts to alter my path with peer pressure and "Making Progress" stickers has failed. My body may be here in your classroom of conformity, but my spirit is free.

Sonwun: 1

The System: 0