The Normal Record. January 1897

              THE NORMAL RECORD.
of this synthesis increase. Clearly then the
pencil is not the proper medium for the very
earliest work of our young pupiis, which
should be of the simplest concrete character.
For some years past, clay modeling, which
in times gone by was deemed proper only in
the highest classes of technical schools, has
been taught as the earliest and most elementary branch of form study and form expression. We can almost say of the clay
that the stone which the builders rejected—
at least for the lower courses of the substructure—has become the corner stone of
the temple.
Every classroom should be well equipped
with a supply sufficient for every pupil, and
weekly or more frequent exercises, especially
in the first year, should be given in modeling.
The objects studied should be the simple
geometric forms, because they are simple and
not complex and confusing like natural forms,
however more interesting may be these more
human forms—"life forms" the kindergartener would say.
Considerable time should be spent in the
early weeks in school in these form-study exercises. At first only the general conception
of the type forms should b2 expected; perfection of execution not being ad?sidesHtum, the
object being rather to present a few type
forms, followed by many applications in simple, natural objects, to furnish the child with
all the breadth of thought possible for his
future study. The element of finish should
not, however, be ignored, and as each month
passes by more and more insistence must be
made upon it, and more must be expected of
the pupil. Remember, first of all, good ideas
to express, and then mechanically trained
hands to execute them."
Clay modeling in common with all the work
in. concrete materials, sticks, tablets, paper,
etc., is to be ranked in value in exactly inverse ratio to the number of the grade, being
of the utmost value in the first and lower
grades, and of constantly decreasing value in
the ascending grades.
After the simple facts of the sphere, cylinder, and cube have been recorded in the soft
clay, the more complex facts of common objects should be attempted, especially those
objects based on the first two models mentioned. Following these three simple type
forms, the variations of the sphere and the
rectilinear models should be attempted.
Natural products are especially suitable
for modeling in clay. They should not be indiscriminately selected, but should be taken
up in connection with the exercises in systematic form-study, that the general likeness
to the form model may be recognized, thereby training the powers of observation.
An essential point must be noticed here,
and that is, that notwithstanding the likeness, near or remote, of any particular object to the type-form, the pupil in his model
of it should not aim merely to show the
generic shape, but rather the individual
shape. Too much stress cannot be placed on
this point. The study of the generic or type-
form of the object should be merely as the
charcoal sketch lines to the oil portrait—the
first blocking in. The real, serious work
must be that training of the perceptive faculties which will enable the pupil to see and
express in his work: (1) The general type-
form; (2) The specific form; (3) The individual detail. Any model which simply shows
the conventional shape of its kind, with all
the characteristic details which stamp its
individuality left out, is a wasted effort. Yet
how familiar to us all are those smoothly
rounded, ellipsoidal potatoes and impossibly
spherical apples. Better one rough, incomplete, but correct representation of a fruit
or vegetable than a bushel of such products. Let us allow no overweening allegiance to type-forms to render negatory the
main purpose of clay modeling—the training
of the eye to perceive and the hand to express the characteristics of form. This
training can never be accomplished by a
rigid insistence upon type-form resemblances.
Better no type models whatever than that
individual details should be slurred over,
however divergent they may be from the
type.
The same innate appreciation for the artistic is observable in the child. This love of
the beautiful, of its cultivation or retardation.
It can be retarded and deadened by the exclusive, or too frequent modeling of the lifeless, uninspiring wooden type models, which
should be recurred to only occasionally, after
the earliest years, and then only for their
splendid training in exactitude of proportion
and form, and for the perfection and continuity of their surfaces.   On the other hand,