Relation between writing and art
" As children we are all artists. It is difficult to remain so".Pablo Picasso
I think it is essential to bear in mind that writing is unavoidably an image and, as such, it always communicates visual emotions.
If the word STOP, which we read at crossroads, were printed in fancy Italic letters instead of rigid, heavy letters, we probably wouldn’t stop because we wouldn’t recognize it as an order. Thus, for the very reason that marks have communicative power, it is essential that children be aware that writing goes well beyond the mere communication of the meaning of the symbols they are writing.
This is why in my lessons with children or adults, I alternate studying according to precise rules with moments of free expression through mark-making gestures. Every now and then we write on large sheets of paper where we combine letters with words and drawings, a practice I consider essential to retain the link between writing and art. Presenting writing as a purely functional activity, one which has no artistic value is tantamount to suffocating the creative spirit which, as Picasso noted, all children possess.