What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed? Michaelangelo

Just a heads up, I’ll be posting many nude male sculptures over the next week for my Art class. If you’d rather skip that then please come back in a week or two. We are studying Ancient Greek art and are moving into sculpture. No way around it, the ancient Greeks were enthralled with the beauty of the male body.

Having said that, I thought I would share some more quotes from Michaelangelo. He was a flawed, complex, gifted, man who has left us a legacy of faith and beauty. Having seen some of his works in person I am awe. These quotes give me much to contemplate.

Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop.

Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.

I am still learning.

I live and love in God’s peculiar light.

I live in sin, to kill myself I live; no longer my life my own, but sin’s; my good is given to me by heaven, my evil by myself, by my free will, of which I am deprived.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.

If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same master.

Pieta

Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.

Many believe – and I believe – that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him.

My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.

What do you despise? By this you are truly known.

Greek Vases Part 2

Continuing with our discussion of Greek Vase painting…See Part 1 if you are lost.

Greek Vase Priam painter

Not all subjects used for ceramics were gods and heroes. This Hydra or water jug was painted by an artist scholars have named the Priam Painter. In this work we get a glimpse of everyday life. Most women in ancient Greece were confined to their homes and so the daily trip to the water well or fountain was a welcome event. This was a time to gather, see friends, and swap gossip. On this vase we see a group of women with storage jars very like the one they are painted onto. The women are getting water for their homes. The painting has a very geometric pattern overlying it with the Doric columns and detailed boarders. There is a fine balance of vertical, horizontal, and rounded elements. The woman and jugs provide a contrast adding energy and life to the painting. The women’s skin has been painted white, a common convention for female figures that was also used by the Egyptians and Minoans. A bit of reddish purple paint has been to create details on the architecture and clothing.

At the same time the Priam Painter and others were creating their black-figure wares, some painters turned to another process called red-figure decoration. As its name suggests, this was a reversal of the previous method. The figures were now red set against a black background. The dark slip was painted on as the background around the outlined figures which were left unpainted. Details were then drawn on the figures with a fine brush dipped in the slip. The result was greater freedom and flexibility of painting rather than engraving the details. Artists quickly adopted this new method. One of the best known red-figure painters was an Athenian named Euphronios who was particularly known for his study of human anatomy.

On this piece done in 515 BC the painting is done on a Calyx Krater. The vase is called that because it’s handles curve up like the flower, calyx. Kraters were used to mix wine and water, the favored drink of the Greeks. They could also be used to cool wine down. The wine would be placed in a smaller vase and then cool water put into the Krater and the wine was then set in the cool water. The idea is similar to our placing champagne in a bucket of ice to chill it.

On this Krater we see the death of Sarpedon. According to the Illiad, written by Homer, Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. He was killed by the Greek warrior Patroclus during the war with the Trojans. In this depiction we see Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death) carrying Sarpedon from the battlefield. We see Hermes, who is the messenger of the gods and is identified by his winged hat and staff, ready to guide our warrior to the netherworld…another of Hermes responsibilities.

We see once again the importance to the Athenians of balance. In this composition the vertical and horizontal lines take the shape of the vase into account. There are fine details in the clothing, musculature, and faces of each figure.

Greek Vase Pan Painter

We now enter into the Classical Period of Greek Art. Over this brief span of about 160 years the Greeks would establish the ideal of beauty that we still strive for today. The classical period is defined by two events in history, at it’s beginning, the defeat of the Persians in 479 BC, and at the end, the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. The speed at which art changed during this period is extraordinary. Here we will just be examining the vases of the classical period…in future posts we will examine the architecture of the period and the sculptures.

During the fifth century artists continued to work with red-figure painting. Among the outstanding artists of this period was the Pan Painter. He seemed to be inspired by the less heroic stories of the gods. In this bell krater we see Artemis slaying Actaeon. Artemas, the goddess of the hunt, was bathing and Actaeon happened upon the goddess. She was so outraged she caused Actaeon’s dogs to mistake him for a stag and attack him. Artemis then shoots the fallen hunter herself. We can see the slender and graceful figures have been painted in with delicate details.

Greek Vase - classic period

In the late classical period artists were using the white ground method which was far more complex and involved painting the vases with tempura after firing. Unfortunately none of the murals painted during this period remain, although we have descriptions of them written down. Most of the vases made in this manner were used for non-utilitarian purposes, for example funeral vases. Funeral vases were used for pouring liquids during religious rituals. Most convey sadness and a depiction of the dead person being honored.The paint was to fragile to put on a water jug or something that would be handles regularly. In this example we see two women, the one girl, probably a servant moving a chair.

Greek Vases Part 1

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted information for my Art History Class, but here is what we’ve been covering in class the last few weeks on the Ancient Greeks. Today I’ll post about Greek Vases, hopefully tomorrow on architecture. (For those of you unfamiliar with my site, this is a class of Jr. High and High School Homeschool students.)

Following the Mycean and Minoan civilizations the next period of Greek art was the Geometric Period. During this time artists reduced human and animal body parts into simple geometric solids, and their designs were characterized by linear motifs, spirals, diamonds and cross-hatching. You will notice a marked difference from the sea creatures, birds and plants that were common in Minoan vase painting.

This figure, a centaur, is unusual because it is more than a foot tall and because it has a hollow body that was formed much like a vase on a potter’s wheel and then the artist added solid lines and a tail. The design was painted onto the body using slip. Slip is a mixture of water and clay that fires a different color than the clay it is painted onto. This centaur was discovered at a cemetery broken in half, with half in one person’s grave and the second half in the one next to it.

This next piece is a funerary vase and it shows the complex decoration typical of the Geometric style. In the bands, or registers of the vase we see the process of a funeral. The body of the deceased is placed on its side on a funeral bier (The Greeks had begun the new practice of cremation). We can see the mourners standing with their arms raised to their heads, an ancient expression of anguish, as the mourners literally tore out their hair. The bodies have been reduced to triangles and rectangles. No attempt has been made to show the forms in three-dimensional space. Despite this rigidity, we feel the strong accents of human loss.

Egyptian art, when dealing with death, explored the activities the deceased would enjoy in the afterlife; the Greeks focused on the emotions of those who survive in this life. According to the Greeks the deceased entered a place of mystery that we can not know. There was very little hope offered to the living, which led to an emphasis on the suffering of those left behind by the deceased.

By the seventh century BC vase painters were beginning to move away from the Geometric style. Painters were influenced by the arts of the Near East, Asia Minor, and Egypt. The Greeks were a sea-faring people and were re-establishing contact and trade with nations in these areas. They now began to use large and open motifs that included both real and imaginary animals, plants, and humans. This came to be known as the Orientalizing style and it began in Corinth, a port city that imported wares from the East. This pitcher is an Olpe, or a wide-mouthed pitcher which dates to 600 BC. You can see creatures painted in horizontal bands against a light background of stylized flowers. These flowers came to be know as rosettes. This is an example of black-figure pottery. It is decorated with dark shapes against a pale background which is the natural color of Corinthian clay. The artist has then incised the details inside the silhouetted shapes with a sharp tool and added touches of gloss, or clay slip to enhance his design.

The following description of Greek Painted Vase Techniques is from Art History by Stokstad. The three main techniques for decorating Greek painted vases were black-figure, red-figure and white-ground. The painters used a complex procedure that involved preparing a slip (a mixture of clay and water), applying the slip to the vessel, and carefully manipulating the firing process in a kiln (a closed oven) to control the amount of oxygen reaching the ceramics. This firing process involved three stages: in the first stage, oxygen was allowed into the kiln, which ‘fixed’ the whole vessel in one overall shade of red depending on the composition of the clay; then, in the second (reduction) stage, the oxygen in the kiln was cut back (reduced) to a minimum, turning the vessel black, and the temperature was raised to the point at which the slip partially vitrified (became glasslike); finally, in the third stage, oxygen was allowed back into the kiln, turning the unslipped areas back to a shade of red. The areas where slip had been applied, which were sealed against the oxygen, remained black. The ‘reds’ varied from dark terra-cotta to pale yellow.

In the black-figure technique, artists painted designs—figures, objects, or abstract motifs—with slip in silhouette on the clay vessels. Then using a sharp tool (a stylus) they cut through the slip to the body of the vessel, incising linear details within the silhouette. In the red-figure technique the approach was reversed. Artists painted the background around the figures with the slip and drew details within the figures with the same slip using a brush. In both techniques artists often enhanced their work with touches of white and reddish-purple gloss, pigments mixed with slip. Firing produced the distinctive black images.

White ground vases became popular in the Classical period. A highly refined clay slip produced the white ground on which the design elements were painted. After firing the vessel, the artists frequently added details and areas of bright and pastel hues using tempera, a paint made from egg yolks, water, and pigments. Because the tempera paints were fragile, these colors flaked off easily and few perfect examples have survived.

The Greek Potters created only a few vessel shapes. During the 6th Century BC Athens became the dominant center for pottery and trade and we move into the Archaic Period. The Athenians adopted the Corinthian black-figure techniques and at first they continued to decorate the vases with the traditional bands. An important transitional piece is this vase which dates to about 570BC. It is a volute krater, or a large vessel with a scroll-shaped or volute handles and was used for mixing the traditional Greek drink of wine and water. This was one of the earliest known vessels signed by both it’s potter (Ergotimos) and it’s painter. (Kleitias)

Kleitias was a great storyteller and this vase has over 200 figures that have been identified with inscriptions providing an important literary record. The main scene is the marriage of King Peleus to Thetis, a sea nymph. Together they would be the parents of Achilles. The different bands continue to tell more of the story. Even the footed base of the vase, which shows small warriors battling cranes, is the retelling of a story dating back to Homer.

Over time the Athenian painters decreased the number of bands and started making the figures larger, until generally one scene dominated the vase. A mid sixth century BC Amphora (a large, all purpose storage jar) illustrates this development. The depiction here is the wine god Dionysos with maenads, his female worshipers. This piece has been attributed to a painter called the Amasis Painter, because his work has such a distinctive style. Most of the Amasis Painter’s work is found on small vessels, so this is an exception. You can see the maenads arms around each other coming forward to present their offerings – a long eared rabbit and a small deer. These signify power over nature.

One of the finest of all of the Athenian artists is Exekias. He signed many of his vessels as both the artist and the painter, the inscription would read, Exekias made me. He was an expert of the Black figure method of vase painting and we can only be amazed at the details he was able to bring to life using this method.

Exekias took his subjects from Greek history. On this amphora he recounts an episode from the Trojan War. Ajax was a fearless Greek warrior, second only to Achilles in braverly. After Achilles died, however, the Greeks choose Odysseus to be his successor over Ajax. Along with his sorrow over losing his cousin Achilles and humiliation in being passed over Ajax prepared to commit suicide. Other artists frequently showed warriors after they had died, but Exekias chose to show Ajax as he prepared to die. He has set aside his helmet, shield, and spear and is crouching beneath a tree, planting his sword upright in the dirt so that he can fall upon it. There is balance in how Exekias has designed his work with two upright elements, the tree on the left and the shield on the right, framing and balancing Ajax in the center. The lines of the tree and the shield curve gently inward following the graceful line of the vase. The entire composition focuses our attention onto Ajax and his concentration on his work. It is a sad and poignant moment.

On this next vase, also created by Exekias, we see another unusual scene. When portraying gods and heroes, most Greek painters showed them either in battle, victory, or death. Here we have a Achilles and Ajax taking a break in their tent for a game of dice. Notice that Ajax’s shield is the same one as in the vase above. While they have set their shields aside they each still hold their weapons. The symmetry on this vase is also very graceful, reflecting the lines of the amphora. The details on the clothing are delicate and intricate. The two shields provide a frame for our heroes intent on their game. Neither Ajax nor Achilles would survive the Trojan War.

Aegean Art Part 2 Minoan Art

From 1900 to 1375 BC a civilization flourished on the island of Crete. This civilization were known as the Minoans, named after King Minos, a king who ruled Knossos, the island’s ancient capital.

Early archaeologist called the intricate architectural complexes of the Minoans ‘palaces’ and that name has stuck until today. We actually know little about their sociopolitical structure and are not sure if they had a royalty in the way we think of it.

The complexes contained all people needed to live. There were theaters, workshops, storage areas, houses, courtyards, temples, plumbing, all with many luxuries. The Palace complex at Knossos covered a 6 square mile area.

The walls of these complexes were made of mud and rubble and then faced with cut and finished stones. Columns and other interior elements were made of wood. There is speculation that this was used as the Minoans discovered that wood faired better during the many earthquakes than stone. Earthquakes led to the constant rebuiliding of the complexes, either by repair, or just rebuilding on top of the rubble.

Artist rendering of the Palace at Knossos

The complexes were multistoried with many colorful colomns. They were designed to maximize light and to allow air to circulate. Daylight and fresh air could enter at staggered levels. The complex had storage areas, houses, meeting rooms, theatres, courtyards etc. All you needed to live right there. The palace at knossos covered a square 6 mile area.

There was a sophisticated plumbing system laid out with terra-cotta pipes under the ground. Clusters of workshops and storage areas have been discovered with jars for oil and wine. In one single storeroom enough ceramic jars were found to hold 20,000 gallons of olive oil. The complex also housed workshops that indicate large-scale manufacturing.

Pots found in storage area

Kamares Ware Jug

One type of pottery that was produced was called Kamares ware. This pottery was highly sought after all over the ancient world and it was exported as far as Egypt and Syria. It had extremely thin walls, a strong use of color, and a graceful, stylized, painted decorated style. The one pictured is a jug with a ‘beaked’ pouring spout.

Some of the most striking ceramics were done in what is called the

Octopus Flask

Marine style because they depicted sea life on their surfaces. This Octopus flask from around 1500 BC celebrates the oceans. Besides the octopus we see other sea life teaming around the tentacles. While the Kamares ware was distinctive with it’s decoration and solid surfaces, the Marine ware seems to capture the energy of natural forms. Both possess their own beauty.

The walls of the Minoans homes and community rooms were frequently covered with murals. Some of the reflected the sea life that surrounded the island. Another popular motif was bull jumping. Historians are not sure if the bull jumping was a religious ritual, a rite of passage, or a sport.

The Palace at Knossos (and most other ancient sculptures and buildings) were painted bright colors. At Knossos the columns in the building were painted red and were made of tree trunks. The many earthquakes on the island of Crete had taught the people that wood did not crack and crumble like stone or marble, so they began to make their pillars out of wood. The trees were installed upside down, so that the thicker part of the tree would provide the base for the ceilings of the buildings.

Aegean Art – Part 1 The Cyclades

Again, continuing to post information so my students can review what we have been doing in class…here is the ancient art from the area around the Aegean Sea.

The first art that we encounter was produced by the Cycladic people (3,000-1100 BC) who inhabited the Cycladic Islands.  They were excellent seafarers and farmers.  They had established trade with Egypt and other early civilizations in the Near East.  One of the hallmarks of this society was the use of Bronze, an alloy made from copper.  They had to import the metal ores needed to mix with the copper.

Because we have not been able to figure out how to read all of their writing, their art has become a major source on information about them.  Among the most unusual products of the Cycladic artist were strange, unidentifiable objects made of terra-cotta.  They were ornamented with stylized designs and either painted or incised before firing.  The example pictured is from 2500-2200 BC.  The incised panel is called a ‘frying pan’ not because it was used for that purpose, but because it is descriptive of it’s shape. 

“This piece consists of a wide, geometric border encircling a scene showing a boat on a sea of waves depicted as linked spirals.  With its long hull and banks of oars, the boat resembles those seen in Neolithic Egyptian art.  The large fish to the left might be a carved prow ornament.”  pg. 92 of Art History by Marilyn Stokstad.

The Cyclades had an ample supply of white marble which was used by sculptors.  In this piece we have a seated harp player who is fully developed in a sculpture in the round.  It’s body shape is reduced to geometric figures, but retains those elements essential to an actual musician.  The harpist sits on a high-backed chair with a splayed base, his head is tilted back as if singing, and his knees and feet are separated for stability.  The harp is braced on one arm, with the other left free to pluck.

Another unique kind of sculpture found in the Cyclades were nudes that could range in size from a few inches to 5 feet tall.  The sculptures were generally of females and were often found laying on graves.  The figures are fairly flat, simple geometric features and bodies, and by the angles of their feet it is apparent that they were laid flat as they could not be displayed standing.  Their arms are shown crossed on their bodies, toes pointed as if they are asleep or dead.  Originally these statues were painted black, red, and blue.  Besides having facial features painted on they would also have had hair added.

Although we cannot know the precise purpose or use of these statues one interpretation has been that they were used for worship in the home and then buried with their owners.  This would explain why many are found around graves.  According to this theory, the larger statues were set up for communal worship, either to represent the supernatural deities, or as votive figures.

Art Participation

Just a few quick thoughts. As I was preparing for the classes I will be teaching tomorrow I came across these disturbing statistics. Active Participation in doing art peaks at nearly 100% for children until they reach the age of about 9…by the time they are young adults active participation is about 6%. A decline of 94% is a little disturbing.

I can understand the statistic though. By the time kids are about 9 or 10 they have recognized that their drawings do not resemble reality as closely as they would wish, so they give up. After all, it’s frustrating and discouraging to continue to do something that you are not good at. In another survey nearly half of the adult population would like to be able to paint and draw, but 72% do not think it is possible for them to learn.

These statistics bother me as I get ready to teach an art class where we will be drawing, painting, and sculpting. I want the kids to find joy and contentment in their time producing art, but I know that for many it will be a stressful and discouraging endeavor. Not being an ‘A’ type personality I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating without worrying overmuch about the result. I’m hoping that the students in my class will be able to enjoy the process, but I’m realistic as well. There is no way to avoid the fact that from the start certain students will be more talented than others and that the less gifted among us will notice.

So is there benefit in having my less artistic student take an art class when I don’t think they will excel. I think so for several reasons. First, just maybe your student will surprise you and with some instruction their latent artistic talents will come to the surface, talents that might have lied undiscovered if we only had our kids try things we knew they would be good at.

Second, maybe your child will discover enjoyment in producing art. I enjoy drawing and painting even though I’m not particularly good at it, it’s relaxing. I remember taking a painting class in England at Cambridge University. I was very intimidated, but my curiosity and the lure of sitting in the English countryside with an easel and paints was just to appealing. Our instructor really didn’t instruct much, just explained a few techniques then we would walk through town or the country and sit down to paint. I got pretty good at watercolor clouds…not a particularly difficult feat, but I have great memories of doing it. Your child doesn’t need to be DaVinci to enjoy producing art and that joy is reason enough to do it.

Thirdly, although I will never be a great painter my stumbling efforts have produced a great deal of admiration for those who can. I love wandering art museums and am continually amazed at the beauty and insights of the great painters. I would imagine many art curators for museums and galleries, many art historians teaching in University are like me, people who will never be great artists themselves but are deeply grateful for the beauty these talented individuals have brought into our lives.

Fourth, you really can’t know where exposure to all sorts of knowledge will lead. We insisted that our children take piano lessons long enough to become somewhat proficient and to read music. To my surprise all of them have pursued an interest in creating music although only one has a preference for the piano. The exposure to the classics, to the practical musical theories, to the importance of doing scales and practicing a piece over and over translated over into other areas. They didn’t have to become concert pianist for those lessons to be beneficial, just as they don’t need to become artist for basic art lessons to benefit them.

So, as your kids try their hand at art lets not just praise their results, but also help them to enjoy the process and to find joy in observing art. Man’s ability to create and to be creative is a gift from God, the Creator, and we should have fun exploring that part of ourselves.

Caleb and Monet…Joseph and Picasso

Caleb now

Joseph now

Art has been a part of our school life from the time the boys were toddlers, both producing art and enjoying works by others. I’m certainly not an expert, but I enjoy art and I think exposing our children to beauty always has rewards.

When they were young I collected postcards, calendars, posters, and books. I didn’t have a formal plan, we just enjoyed them. If they expressed an interest we might read up on a particular painter, but for the most part I just made the introductions and let them gravitate toward the works that spoke to them.

As time passed they became quite familiar with many different styles and time periods and could accurately identify and group paintings. We made it a game, putting out cards and seeing if they could pick out all the Van Goghs (Van Gogh is a good one to start with as his style is so distinct). Sometimes we would study a work and then turn it over and see how many details we could remember. While there was benefit to these games they were really just a tool to get where we were going.

As I said when speaking of Shakespeare, we have the privilege of introducing our children to genius. Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michelangelo…they were all incredibly gifted men who were able to express their vision of the world in moving and beautiful ways.

Bringing a new perspective to everyday objects and a unique insight into the times they lived, we can, in a sense, enter into a conversation with them. It’s an amazing thought, your child can enter into a ‘dialog’ with some of the greatest minds and talents the world has known by thoughtfully contemplating and studying their work. At least these were the thoughts and hopes that went through my mind as I introduced these masterpieces to my kids.

Following the advice of Charlotte Mason I refrained from giving them a lot of information about a particular work and just let them experience it. They had their own thoughts, insights, and feelings about particular paintings. At some point, I might tell them a little about the artist and the world he lived in, not a long lecture, just enough information for them to gain a deeper understanding of what the circumstances were that surrounded a work.

For instance, Picasso’s work Guernica is moving and disturbing on it’s own. (More disturbing when you consider that the finished work was 11 feet tall and 25 feet long.) The lack of color, violent images were noted by my son Joe when he was probably 8. He had his own thoughts on the painting recognizing it as a work of Picasso and wanting to know what was wrong. (He had found many of Picasso’s other works sad, amusing, or funny, but this one felt different to him.) His understanding was deepened by just the little bit of background I gave him. Guernica was painted in protest of a vicious bombing of the city by the Nazi’s during the Spanish Civil War. A tour of the work brought this war to the world’s attention and has become a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war.

Don’t worry, google any artist and you can get a brief history that will fill in some of these pertinent details for you. You don’t need to be an Art Historian to introduce your children to art…that is part of my point, you just make the introduction.

Back to the point. Joseph had his own experience with this painting, he interacted with it, came to his own conclusions, sought more information, and then went back to looking at the painting, picking out the anguished horse, disjointed people etc. He didn’t need a summary from me of what he should think and a nice stated objective to walk away from the ‘lesson’ with. If he were to look at the painting now he would probably notice different things and, with the additional years he has had to mature and learn more history, he would probably have a deeper understanding of Picasso’s mindset. In another 20 years his relationship with this painting will change again. Great works of art, (or literature) enrich our lives in a variety of ways and continue to speak to us throughout our lives.

When Caleb, my third son, was 10 or 11, we went on a field trip to the Norton Simon Museum. By then he knew most of the painters he would be seeing and began to wander…until he found this painting by Monet. We had moved on and I realized Caleb wasn’t with us so I went looking for him and found him still standing in front of this work. I asked if he wanted to come see the Rembrandt’s and he said, ‘No, if it’s okay, I’ll just stay here. I like this one.” He found a bench and sat in front of that one painting until it was time to leave. He was so relieved when I told him we could purchase a copy of the painting to take home. For whatever reason, at that time in his life, that painting spoke to his heart.

After these two experiences I appreciated even more that as educators we often need to get out of the way. We introduce our students to ideas, books, works of art, and then we step aside and trust them to take away from the experience what is appropriate for them.

This style of learning can be scary for those of us who associate ‘education’ with mastering a specific set of skills for each grade level. We have science standards, math standards, and reading standards. If you google most museums that cater to children and have educational tours you can get a list of which ‘standards’ their tours will meet. That day at the Norton Simon I had parents who were very concerned because Caleb didn’t ‘see’ everything.

I’m asking you to throw out the standards and let your child lead. Instead of giving information, ask questions. Get your children thinking and interacting on their own. If they are not used to this kind of learning at first they will be resistant…they have been trained to ‘give the right answer’ and will be hesitant to just offer an opinion.

But if your goal is children who are curious, independent thinkers then resist the impulse to wrap up every learning experience in a nice little package with a stated objective. I am not suggesting that you are not intentional about what you introduce or that there are not some specific facts you want them to learn. (We read biographies of the artist, tried out some of their techniques, put them onto timelines, and played the games I mentioned earlier). What I am suggesting is that within that framework there should always be room, lots of room, for them to think their own thoughts.