It's Honest Art

A few weekends ago we attended a party that was very near to a mountain brush fire.  It was an outdoor gathering, and Nicholas and Elena were able to spend most of their time in the pool.  The fire was about one mile away, due south.  We were in no danger but with the helicopters and fire planes flying above us, and the smoke cloud growing bigger and darker, and the general excitement in the air, it  made a huge impression on our boy. There was a lot of sensory input for him to process, and a lot of excitement and curiosity to work through.  He was anxious to come home and draw a picture.

One of the ways he is discovering that he can process his thoughts, feelings, passions and perceptions is through drawing.  For him, it's more than just a fun activity.  It's a means to connecting to parts of him that he is not able to connect to in ways more typical people can.  

For him, drawing is more than just making pictures.  It is an expression of his inner being.  He is verbal, but has difficulty in pragmatic language expression and usage.  He can talk, but it can become more like monologue than dialogue.  He is often at a loss for words.  His drawing is an extension of his language.  His perception of his world through the filter of his thoughts, his emotions, his level of understanding, without the burden of speaking. 

It is reactive.  It is immediate.  It is vibrant and full of action and drama.  It is a highly personal response to the reality he lives in.  There's a lot going in, and he usually fills the frame with action.  There is no subtlety, only a seven-year old autistic boy's visceral truth.  It's honest art.

He reminds me of Picasso, and not because he's my son and I think he's a great artist.  He reminds me of Picasso because of the strength of intent and need to create he shares with him.  He usually draws something everyday.  And it's usually a reflection of his current passion or obsession.  And it's always about what he knows and how he sees it.  And that, to me, is very Picasso-esque, in spirit.

I think we may have actual artist on our hands. 

http://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp