Does art have to be pretty?

What do we do when a child makes art that shocks us? How do we deal with student art that is disturbing to us?

Art is about expression which means it isn't always going to be appealing. I've seen a lot of work that made me angry or to be honest, really grossed me out. In those cases, I think that may have been the artist's intent. They want the viewer to step outside of what they are comfortable with and react.

It all comes down to how we define art. If it is ugly and makes us uncomfortable, is it bad art? If that were the case, Francisco Goya's Disasters of War series (depicting Napoleon's brutal war with Spain) would be meaningless. Art has a purpose and to say that good art has to be pretty negates half of one's ability to express. Not everything we need to express is pretty, so why then do people expect only beauty in art?

I don't have an answer to this but that mentality makes me very uncomfortable. I am not an expert in art therapy by any stretch of the imagination but it strikes me as destructive to tell children that their art can only be pretty.

I've read a number of articles about people working with victims of trauma who have experienced things so horrific they can't bear to speak of them but they could still draw. I think allowing (not making!) victims of trauma, especially children to "draw out" their experiences through art can become part of the healing process. Granted, this may be difficult for us as educators to see, but the key in this, is that it isn't about us! It is about the child needing to express their trauma.

Obviously, sensitivity is required in this. We don't want to expose other children to the trauma but we need to protect the rights of the traumatized individual as well. To tell the child they can't make the images is wrong. In my opinion this will cause the child even more trauma. But, what does one do about it? Talking with the child and giving them alternatives to art class for their drawings. Maybe in a quiet spot during quiet reading time, with a counselor (if you are lucky enough to have one in your school), with you or an administrator. The point is, you don't want to victimize the child all over again by making them feel they have done something wrong.

Of course, this is all assuming this is not the child's disclosure and the trauma is in their past. If the child discloses any sort of trauma or abuse you must follow normal laws/procedures around reporting it.