BOOK REVIEW: Valuable addition to scanty literature on children's art

The book 'Pakistani Children's Art" is a pioneering work and a valuable addition to the scanty literature on the subject. Compiled by Shamim Akhter, a freelance journalist and a writer on art and social issues, the book provides an interesting insight into the art and talent of Pakistani children hailing from a cross-section of society.
Colourful illustrations and drawings by children, with their ages ranging from two to fourteen years, from rural and urban background have been documented in a beautiful way. The compilation also includes paintings by some under-privileged children from villages and remote parts of the country. The inclusion of some art work of children from other parts of the world provides a rare comparison of the work of art by children from around the globe.
"The works documented comprise children's art that cut across barriers from the rich to the middle class and the poor," says the author in her foreword adding that "the purpose of the book is not to teach children how to paint, but to document paintings by children from all parts of Pakistan for future reference."
The book is divided into nine sections. A foreword is followed by a chapter titled 'Observations' in which the author discusses the evolution of a talent for art among the children corresponding to progression in their age. There is a theoretical formulation on how age, gender, class, background and the environment in which a child grow plays a curical role in the development of the child's innate artistic talent.
The book explores how this innate ability to draw evolves throughout the childhood. Humans are a step ahead in evolutionary process when compared with other creatures. The ability that sets them apart is to draw and to express themselves in pictorial images and language of line, colour and form in a unified composition. Humans possess an aesthetic faculty and a child without ever learning knows how to draw.
According to the author, every child if provided with artistic tools will express his/her self in the visual or plastic form. With a pencil or a crayon, a child will scribble a line or a broken circle. At the age three to four, children usually start producing recognisable images.
The simplicity, vividness and novelty of a child's art is therefore remarkable. By the age of five every normal child is able to draw a moon-pie face. A humanoid form is represented by a face with ears, lips and eye-brows, whereas fork like lines represent arms, the dress is however paid extra attention by the child.
(The cover picture is an example). Whereas paintings of children of 9 to 13 years of age depict frequent use schematised form but as the perception develops the use is discarded.
Most favourite themes and objects depicted during this stage of childhood are houses, celestial bodies, trees and vehicles in a fixed manner. whereas in drawings of humanoid form, the face is facing the viewer but the feet are profile, much like illustrations of Egyptian art. It is interesting to note that in earlier childhood, stet art resembles the primitive art form especially the Australian aboriginal art.
Art is an innate response to the urge to create. Therefore art is not exclusive to the life of leisure. There are many examples of great work of art being produced by artists leading a life of deprivation, devoid of comforts. And a child artist is no exception to it.
In her Observations, Shamim Akhter maintains that children hailing from under privileged sections of society have shown more talent and imagination for art and painting as compared to children belonging to affluent classes.
"Works displayed at the commercial art galleries by children from the affluent class were formal, less imaginative and worked with less effort and sense of composition as compared to the works of children participating in painting and poster competitions." The author also throws light on gender differences among boys and girls as they approach the subject.
The approach to art is shaped by gender from childhood, especially in the thematic selection of the work. Boys prefer subjects involving action, vehicles and use of machines. While girls from an early age are seen paying more attention to details of dress and jewellery, etc. The other sections of book are: Children art workshop; Thematic paintings, poster competitions, Exhibitions at Commercial Art Galleries, World Children Art, Indian view, Mariam's special world and Newspaper clippings. They take the reader to a wider world of children's art.
Children art is a by-product of the environment in which a child is nurtured. This is evident from the theme selection of children from different regions of Pakistan. Children of remote areas in their illustration portrayed the culture, dresses, their surroundings, customs and social problems of the area in which they live.
While conducting workshop in remote villages of Sindh such as Juhi where frequent incidents of robberies are common happening, a nine year old child illustrated a dacoit taking away a cattle.
The children of Turbat in Balochistan seemed to know colour as the knowledge and sense of colour was taught to them by mothers who embroider with colourful threads. Their pictures depicted bright colours, local embroidery motifs, jewellery, date palm trees and barren hills. whereas work of children from Karachi showed a lack of imagination.
Javaid of class I drew a motorcar, a theme related to the hustle and bustle of big city environment. Children of Rawlakot, Azad Kashmir, were highly imaginative; they drew fairies and butterflies reflective of natural beauty of the place. Festive seasons, scenic villages, flowers and brides were the common subject depicted in children illustrations.
In the section of thematic paintings, author Shamim Akhter explores remarkable ability of children to execute any theme with imagination and creativity. This section depicts beautiful paintings of children under the themes of Pak Japan friendship, My Bright Smile, and Karvan Mera Pakistan.
Shamim Akhter in her book regrets that," Sadly no one has cared to preserve works of art done by children. Especially in Pakistan, critics and sponsors ignore children's mental requirements as well as what they produce at their intellectual level, be it poetry, prose or painting." All in all, book documents the art of children across Pakistan. It is indeed a great effort, which deserve critical appreciation.