Pestalozzian and Froebelian Influences on Contemporary Elementary School Art

Abstract

Using Efland's definition of school art as an art style unique to schools, this paper traces the origins of nineteenth century school art from Pestalozzi and Froebel, its spread in the United States through the adoption of kindergarten education, to its current coexistence with the school art style originated by Cizek at the turn of the century. These two styles of school art continue to flourish in North American elementary schools because they Teflect the conflict between the latent 19th-century values concerned with respect for authority and the explicit 20th-century values of individuality and self-expression.