CLOSER TO THE ART 03                     

What is the difference between an original art piece and its reproduction? On the original we can immediately perceive its real size, colours, handwriting of the author and the way the artwork is exhibited in the gallery. A copy has the advantage that it gets also there, where an original can not be exhibited. Only few of us have seen the original of the famous painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci in the Louvre in Paris, but thanks to reproductions in encyclopaedias, books, on posters or from the internet we know it all. The educational project for schools from the whole of Slovakia CLOSER TO THE ART works with reproductions of artworks from the collections of the City Gallery of Bratislava which provide the knowledge of artworks to schools all over Slovakia.  It connects modern and contemporary art with the actual world around us, which is reflected by the art and enables us to understand it deeper.  The chosen art pieces by Slovak artists connects with literature, history, music, visual and media culture, family, relationships, hobbies and in this way offers various points of view at artworks. The aim of the project is mainly to support the enjoyment out of creative activity and thinking which are needed for every area of life. It introduces art as an essential and important part of our life which can offer us unique opportunities of education and also entertainment (fun). 

The third year of the project CLOSER TO THE ART took place from January to June 2010 and from all around Slovakia took part 290 primary schools, primary art schools and eight-year grammar schools. Each enrolled teacher received a set of reproductions of seven Slovak authors (Mária Bartuszová, Miloš Alexander Bazovský, Erik Binder, Milan Bočkay, Rudolf Fila, Milan Paštéka, Rudolf Sikora) in A4 size, with information about the artwork and about the author, inspirations for discussions and creative activities. Under the leadership of the teachers whose creative approach was an inevitable component of the project, pupils during the duration of the project realised their own interpretations of artworks using various techniques and media (painting, drawing, sculpture, object, installation, action, photography, theatre, text, poetry). Their results sent us almost 100 schools from various regions of Slovakia, from which the commission composed of art and gallery teachers chose 31, which are presented on the exhibition in the Pálffy Palace of the City Gallery of Bratislava. Children’s works based on an artwork keep an external connection with it or are inspired by the artwork on the base of an internal relation. The works reproduced in the catalogue document different approaches and possibilities of use of an artwork not only within the frame of humanities subjects. Texts in the catalogue can be used by teachers, parents and everybody who accepts the invitation to have a look at fine art from a little different point of view. The works themselves and creative tasks are aimed at children who can find here inspiration for their own creation.

                                                                                                                 Daniela Čarná

Detailed information about the program Closer to the Art can be found also on the website www.umeniezblizka.gmb.sk and www.gmb.bratislava.sk.