VIKTOR LOWENFELD

COURTNEY, NATALIE. PATRICIA, SARAH

Viktor Lowenfeld was born in
Lintz, Austria in 1903.

He became interested in
music (though only enjoyed
playing by ear) and painting
at a young age.

While he attended the Vienna

Academy of Fine Arts, he
taught in local elementary
schools.
He transferred to the Vienna
Kunstgewerbeschule, and studied
sculpture under Edward Steinberg.

Steinberg taught his sculpture students

by making them blindfold themselves
while working with clay.

Lowenfeld then visited the Institute for

the Blind to observe so that he could
decide whether Steinberg’s approach
was valid.
Studied further at the University of Vienna, focusing on art history and psychology,
and graduated in 1928.

He then became a staff member at the institute of the blind.

Sigmund Freud became interested
in Lowenfeld’s work with the blind
at visited him at the institute,
pushing Lowenfeld to delve
deeper into researching the
scientific aspects of the arts and
discover his interest in the
therapeutic uses for creative
activity.
Wrote four books on the subject:

Die Entstehung der Plastic (The Genesis of Sculpturing) - 1932

Plastiche Arbeiten Blinder (Sculptures of the Blind) - 1934

The Nature of Creative Activity - 1939

Following the German invasion of Austria in 1938, Lowenfeld fled to the United
States.

During WWII, he taught psychology at the Hampton Institute in Virginia.

In 1945, he was invited to teach at Pennsylvania State University.

In 1947, he released his book Creative
and Mental Growth, which was one of the
most influential books about art education
during the 20th Century.

His theory presented in the book was

based on two separate schools of thought:
the psychoanalytic school of psychology
and the concept of stages of growth in art.
What should we expect from students?

And how should we respond?

What kind of materials would you use?

STAGE ONE: SCRIBBLE
2-4 YRS / PRESCHOOL
SUBSTAGES: LEVEL 1 = DISORDERED
LEVEL 2 = LONGITUDINAL
LEVEL 3 = CIRCULAR
LEVEL 4 = NAMING
STAGE TWO: PRESCHEMATIC
4-6 YRS / KINDERGARTEN - 1
-HUMAN / ANIMAL FIGURES
-DISORGANIZED SPACE
-COLOR = EMOTION
-USUALLY HAS FOCUS
STAGE THREE: SCHEMATIC
7-9 YRS / GRADES 1-4
-SENSE OF SPACE / BASELINE
-NATURAL COLORS
-SIZE = IMPORTANCE
-X-RAY PICTURES
STAGE FOUR: DAWNING REALISM
9-11 YRS / GRADES 4-6
-“GANG” AGE
-SELF CRITICAL
-OVERLAP, SPACE
-OFTEN STIFF
 STAGE FIVE: PSUDOREALISTIC
11-13 YRS / GRADES 6-8
-PRODUCT IS IMPORTANT
-VISUALLY MINDED CHILD, BASED ON OBSERVATION
-NONVISUALLY MINDED CHILD, HOW WORLD RELATES TO CHILD
-COLOR AS RELATIVE TO SURROUNDINGS OR AS TOOL
STAGE SIX: DECISION
14+ YRS / GRADES 8+
-SELF CRITICAL
-ART AS A SKILL
-SHOULD I CONTINUE?
-SHOULD I QUIT?
 Worksheet

What have you learned today?

Draw a line connecting the stage of development to the correct drawing!

 REFERENCES
Brutger, Jim. “LOWENFELD'S STAGES OF ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT.” LOWENFELD, University of Minnesota Duluth, 20 Sept. 2005,

www.d.umn.edu/~jbrutger/Lowenf.html.

Kantner, Lary A, and Diane C Grefory. “The Stages of Artistic Development.” Aug. 2002,

https://makingartwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stages_of_art_development.pdf

“Viktor Lowenfeld (1903–1960) - Early Career and Influences, Lowenfeld's American Career, Influence on Art Education.” Creative, University, Growth,
and Arts - StateUniversity.com, education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2195/Lowenfeld-Viktor-1903-1960.html.