As this school year is drawing near to a close {although around here it never really closes} I find myself thinking about how much [I've] learned this year. Not just how much I've learned, but the order in which I've learned it. A Classical Christian Education goes in a certain order; timeline, if you will, just like God's perfect order.
And he doesn't leave anything out, including the arts.
How to play a musical instrument ~
Learning to draw using shapes such as a circles, squares, and triangles. Mimi just happened to buy the kids these children's drawing books using shapes, to which we studied this year in class, and the kids have really used a lot of their spare time practicing ~
Cool mermaid (with a little help from mommy!)
We've also had the privilege of studying about the great artists that have come down through history and showered us with their marvelous works ~
Like Michelangelo, who painted the famous frescoes {mural} of the Sistine Chapel. He painted the entire ceiling lying on a scaffold {who knows how many feet high in the air!} Along with many other wonderful works of art that we enjoy today.
It has been said that as the great Michelangelo painted the magnificent frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - lying on his back for endless hours to finish every detail with great care - a friend asked him why he took such pains with figures that would be viewed from a considerable distance.
"After all," the friend said, "who will notice whether it is perfect or not?"
"I will," replied the artist.
So we let these young ones give it a try ~
As they replied, "It's not so easy!"
Or Lorenzo Ghiberti, who was trained as a goldsmith by his father and eventually was the master artist who sculpted the bronze doors {known as the Gate of Paradise} for the Baptistry of the Cathedral of Florence, which took more than 20 years to complete. Each door has quatrefoil framed scenes from the lives of Christ, the Evangelists, and the church fathers.
Here's our rendition.
There are many others. Giotto who painted beautiful frescoes for the St. Francis of Assisi (Italy).
Or Giovanni Angelico, the Dominican Friar who cared for the poor and wept when he painted a crucifixion. You can find his work in numerous chapels throughout Rome.
Albrecht Durer who was an artist and engraver from the Renaissance period. After studying Martin Luther's writings, he began painting and engraving religious works. Like this most well-known painting ~
All of these artists have displayed their artwork in a myriad of ways, whether it be through painting frescoes or portraits, sculpting and engraving, using silver and gold, most of which took many, many years to complete. We now have the pleasure of enjoying, through these artists, pictures of the life of Christ and his ministry, stories of his disciples and all those who followed his teachings. They have been around in many cathedrals, museums, and chapels for many centuries, and will be around for many more. And they all have one common thread, most of their art was the life of Christ, passed down through many generations and to those yet to come.
I want my children to sense that God has a purpose for their lives. I used to say, "I wonder what my kids will be one day. What college will they go to, how will they make a living for their families."
While attempting to provide my children with the right tools, I now say, "I wonder in what way God would have you invest your life for His glory? How can you use your gifts and strengths to bring others to Him or to further His kingdom's influence on this earth?"
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